JP7780205B2 - power supply - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a power supply device equipped with a fuel cell power generation unit that is configured to generate electricity by reacting a first gas containing an oxidant with a second gas containing hydrogen.

As an example of this type of power supply device, the following patent document discloses a fuel cell that is configured to generate electricity by reacting outside air (oxygen) with fuel (hydrogen) in a power generation section that is equipped with an oxidizer electrode, a fuel electrode, and a polymer electrolyte membrane.

This fuel cell uses a configuration in which a hydrogen storage alloy is stored in a fuel tank, and hydrogen released from this hydrogen storage alloy is supplied to the fuel electrode and reacts with oxygen in the outside air to generate electricity. In this case, when hydrogen is released from the hydrogen storage alloy, the temperature of the hydrogen storage alloy (fuel tank) drops due to an endothermic reaction. It is also known that the hydrogen release rate (amount released per unit time) of a hydrogen storage alloy decreases as its temperature drops. Therefore, to continuously supply a sufficient amount of hydrogen required for power generation from the fuel tank to the power generation unit, it is necessary to prevent the temperature of the fuel tank from dropping and maintain a temperature at which hydrogen can be optimally released from the hydrogen storage alloy.

This fuel cell is designed to maintain a suitable temperature by heating the fuel tank using heat generated in the power generation unit by the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. Specifically, this fuel cell is equipped with a fixed thermal connection member fixed to the fuel tank, an external heat dissipation unit for dissipating heat from the power generation unit to the outside, and a movable thermal connection member that selectively transfers heat from the power generation unit to either the fixed thermal connection member or the external heat dissipation unit. This fuel cell is also designed so that the movable thermal connection member is always in contact with the power generation unit, and is moved to contact either the fixed thermal connection member or the external heat dissipation unit by a drive unit equipped with a shape memory alloy spring that deforms in shape depending on temperature and a bias spring.

More specifically, in this fuel cell, the drive unit moves the movable thermal connection member, thermally connecting the power generation unit and the fixed thermal connection member via the movable thermal connection member, thereby transferring heat generated in the power generation unit to the fuel tank, thereby heating the hydrogen storage alloy and maintaining a temperature at which the required amount of hydrogen can be released. Furthermore, in this fuel cell, the drive unit moves the movable thermal connection member, thermally connecting the power generation unit and the external heat dissipation unit via the movable thermal connection member, thereby dissipating heat generated in the power generation unit from the external heat dissipation unit without being transferred to the fuel tank, making it possible to prevent excessive temperature increases in the fuel tank.

JP 2007-080587 A (pages 5-18, Figure 1-10C)

However, the fuel cell disclosed in the above patent document has the following problem to be solved. Specifically, the fuel cell disclosed in the above patent document employs a configuration in which the power generation unit and fixed thermal connection member are thermally connected via a movable thermal connection member, and heat generated in the power generation unit is transferred to the fuel tank, heating the hydrogen storage alloy in the fuel tank and preventing excessive temperature drops due to endothermic reactions. As a result, the amount of hydrogen required for power generation is released from the fuel tank (hydrogen storage alloy) and supplied to the power generation unit (fuel electrode).

In this case, to ensure heat transfer from the power generation unit to the fuel tank via the movable and fixed thermal connection members, it is necessary to ensure contact between the power generation unit and the movable thermal connection member to avoid heat transfer loss, as well as between the movable and fixed thermal connection members to avoid heat transfer loss, and between the fixed thermal connection member and the fuel tank to avoid heat transfer loss. Meanwhile, in this fuel cell, the movable thermal connection member must be moved by a drive unit so that it contacts either the fixed thermal connection member or the external heat dissipation unit while maintaining contact with the power generation unit. Therefore, when the components are brought into close contact to avoid heat transfer loss, it becomes difficult for the drive unit to smoothly move the movable thermal connection member. However, when smooth movement of the movable thermal connection member is enabled, the degree of contact between the components decreases, resulting in heat transfer loss, making it difficult to reliably and easily heat the fuel tank.

Furthermore, when the heat transfer path between the power generation unit and the fuel tank is long, it becomes difficult to efficiently transfer heat from the power generation unit to the fuel tank by dissipating heat from the movable or fixed thermal connecting member to the outside air. Therefore, in the fuel cell disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document, the length of the heat transfer path, i.e., the distance between the power generation unit and the fuel tank, must be sufficiently short to avoid a decrease in heat transfer efficiency. This results in a problem with this fuel cell, namely, limited design freedom regarding the placement of the power generation unit and fuel tank. Furthermore, when this fuel cell is configured to connect multiple fuel tanks to ensure a stable supply of hydrogen to the power generation unit, it is necessary to provide a movable or fixed thermal connecting member for each fuel tank, or to provide movable or fixed thermal connecting members that can be shared among multiple fuel tanks. Therefore, when multiple fuel tanks are connected and used, manufacturing costs increase.

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems that needed to be solved, and its primary objective is to provide a power supply device that can reliably and continuously supply a necessary and sufficient amount of second gas from a storage unit without incurring a rise in manufacturing costs, while also allowing for sufficient freedom in design.

In order to achieve the above object, a power supply device according to a first aspect of the present invention is a power supply device comprising: a fuel cell power generation unit including a power generation cell configured to generate power by reacting a first gas containing an oxidant and a second gas containing hydrogen, and a cooling cell that cools the power generation cell by heat exchange with a third gas ; a first supply unit that supplies the first gas to the power generation cell; a second supply unit that is configured to be connectable to a storage unit in which the second gas is occluded and that supplies the second gas from the storage unit to the power generation cell; a third supply unit that supplies the third gas to the cooling cell ; and a control unit that controls the supply of the first gas by the first supply unit, the supply of the second gas by the second supply unit, and the supply of the third gas by the third supply unit, and is configured to be able to supply power generated by the fuel cell power generation unit to a supply target, The heating unit is configured to be able to heat the storage unit by heat exchange with the heating fluid, using the first gas reacted with the gas and the third gas supplied to the cooling cell by the third supply unit to cool the power generation cell as heating fluids , and the first supply unit and the third supply unit are configured by a single pump, and the heating unit is configured to be able to use a mixture of the first gas sucked from the power generation cell by the single pump and the third gas sucked from the cooling cell by the single pump as the heating fluid, and is equipped with a first heating unit located upstream of the single pump in a flow path of the mixture and using the mixture as the heating fluid to heat the storage unit, and a second heating unit located downstream of the single pump in the flow path of the mixture and using the mixture as the heating fluid to heat the storage unit .

The power supply device of claim 2 is the power supply device of claim 1, further comprising a drain trap disposed between a first heating section and the one pump in the flow path of the air-fuel mixture to remove moisture from the air-fuel mixture , and the second heating section heats the storage section by using the air-fuel mixture, from which moisture has been removed in the drain trap and which is exhausted from the one pump, as the heating fluid.

The power supply device of claim 3 is the power supply device of claim 1 , wherein the heating section is provided with a pipe body arranged near the storage section, and the heating fluid is supplied to the pipe body so that the storage section can be heated by heat radiation from the pipe body.

A power supply device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the power supply device according to the first aspect, wherein the heating section is configured to be able to heat the storage section by spraying the heating fluid onto the storage section.

The power supply device of claim 5 is the power supply device of claim 4, wherein the heating unit includes a housing that can house the storage unit, and is configured so that the heating fluid can be supplied to the housing, thereby spraying the heating fluid onto the storage unit within the housing.

The power supply device of claim 6 is the power supply device of claim 1 , wherein the second supply unit is configured to be connectable to N (N is a natural number greater than or equal to 2) storage units and is configured to be able to supply the second gas from pre-specified M (M is a natural number less than or equal to (N-1)) storage units out of the N storage units to the power generation cell, and the heating unit is configured to be able to supply the heating fluid so that the degree of heating of the M storage units is greater than the degree of heating of L storage units excluding the M storage units out of the N storage units.

The power supply device of claim 1 is configured to be able to supply power generated by a fuel cell power generation unit to a supply target, and is provided with a heating unit configured to be able to heat a storage unit by heat exchange with the heating fluid, using as heating fluids a first gas supplied to a power generation cell of the fuel cell power generation unit by a first supply unit and reacted with a second gas, and the third gas supplied to a cooling cell by a third supply unit and cooling the power generation cell, and the first supply unit and the third supply unit are configured by a single pump, and the heating unit is configured to be able to use as heating fluid a mixture of the first gas sucked from the power generation cell by the single pump and the third gas sucked from the cooling cell, and is provided with a first heating unit that heats the storage unit upstream of the single pump in the flow path of the mixture, and a second heating unit that heats the storage unit downstream of the single pump in the flow path of the mixture .
Therefore, according to the power supply device of claim 1 , unlike a configuration in which the fuel cell power generation unit and the storage unit are directly connected by a thermal connection member or the like to transfer heat from the fuel cell power generation unit to the storage unit, the storage unit can be reliably and easily heated by supplying the first gas exhausted from the fuel cell power generation unit to the heating unit as a heating fluid, even if the relative positions of the fuel cell power generation unit and the storage unit are arbitrarily determined. This allows for sufficient design freedom in the power supply device while reliably and continuously supplying a necessary and sufficient amount of the second gas from the storage unit to the fuel cell power generation unit. Furthermore, since multiple storage units can be heated without increasing the complexity or size of the power supply device, hydrogen can be stably supplied to the fuel cell power generation unit without incurring high manufacturing costs. Furthermore, the storage unit can be sufficiently heated by supplying a very high-temperature mixture, which is heated during the compression stroke of one pump and also heated by heat exchange with the high-temperature pump, to the second heating unit. Furthermore , unlike a configuration in which a first gas or the like is pressurized into a fuel cell power generation unit using a pressure pump or the like , and the mixture of the first gas and the third gas that has passed through the fuel cell power generation unit is supplied to the first heating unit as a heating fluid to heat the storage unit, this configuration does not lead to a situation in which the movement of the heating fluid becomes difficult due to pressure loss before it reaches the first heating unit , and does not hinder the supply of new first gas or the like to the fuel cell power generation unit, and it is possible to reliably supply the mixture of the high-temperature first gas and the third gas ( heating fluid ) exhausted from the fuel cell power generation unit to the first heating unit .

According to the power supply device of claim 2 , the second heating section uses a mixture of the first gas, from which moisture has been removed in the drain trap, and the third gas as a heating fluid to heat the storage section, thereby making it possible to preferably avoid a situation in which liquid-phase moisture is discharged from the second heating section along with the air exhausted from the second heating section after the storage section has been heated.

According to the power supply device described in claim 3, the heating unit is configured to include a pipe disposed near the storage unit, and a heating fluid is supplied to the pipe so that the storage unit can be heated by heat dissipation from the pipe. This allows the storage unit to be heated by heat dissipation from the pipe without moisture, etc. contained in the first gas exhausted from the fuel cell power generation unit adhering to the storage unit. This allows for optimal power generation even when using a loaned storage unit or a storage unit that does not allow moisture, etc. to adhere to the storage unit.

The power supply device described in claim 4 is configured so that the heating unit can heat the storage unit by spraying heating fluid onto it. This allows the storage unit to be reliably heated by the high-temperature heating fluid exhausted from the fuel cell power generation unit, despite the relatively simple configuration.

According to the power supply device described in claim 5, a housing capable of housing a storage unit is provided, and a heating unit is configured within the housing so that heating fluid can be supplied to the storage unit and sprayed onto the storage unit within the housing unit. This prevents the high-temperature air sprayed onto the storage unit from being bounced off the storage unit and sprayed onto components surrounding the storage unit, allowing for efficient heating of the storage unit within the housing unit and effectively avoiding unnecessary temperature increases in components surrounding the storage unit.

In the power supply device described in claim 6, the second supply unit is configured to be connectable to N storage units and to supply a second gas to the power generation cell from M pre-designated storage units among the N storage units, and the heating unit is configured to supply a heating fluid so that the degree of heating of the M storage units is greater than the degree of heating of the L storage units excluding the M storage units among the N storage units.

Therefore, the power supply device described in claim 6 not only prevents a storage unit that is not supplying the second gas to the fuel cell power generation unit from being unnecessarily heated, which could cause the internal pressure of that storage unit to become excessively high and create a dangerous situation, but also efficiently heats the storage unit that is supplying the second gas to the fuel cell power generation unit, preventing excessive temperature drops caused by the endothermic effect, and more reliably supplies a necessary and sufficient amount of second gas from that storage unit to the fuel cell power generation unit.

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a power supply device 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a heating unit 6. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of the arrangement of the hydrogen canister C and the heating unit 6 (spiral tubes 21a to 21f). 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a power supply device 1A. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a heating unit 9. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a heating unit 9A. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a heating unit 9B. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of the arrangement of the hydrogen canister C and the heating section 9C (spiral tubes 21a to 21f and canister accommodating sections 25a to 25f).

The following describes an embodiment of the power supply device with reference to the attached drawings.

The power supply device 1 shown in Figure 1 is an example of a "power supply device" and is configured to generate electricity when supplied with power-generating gas and supply it to various supply targets. Specifically, the power supply device 1 is configured with a fuel cell power generation unit 2, a canister connection unit 3, a flow rate adjustment unit 4, a pump 5, a heating unit 6, a drain trap 7, and a control unit 8.

The fuel cell power generation unit 2 is an example of a "fuel cell power generation unit" and is configured by stacking multiple power generation cells 11 and multiple cooling cells 12. Note that while Figure 1 shows one power generation cell 11 and one cooling cell 12 to facilitate understanding of the configuration of the power supply device 1, in reality, the fuel cell power generation unit 2 is configured with a number of power generation cells 11 corresponding to the power generation capacity required of the power supply device 1, and a number of cooling cells 12 corresponding to the amount of heat generated in the power generation cells 11 during power generation.

The power generation cell 11 is an example of a "power generation cell" and is configured to generate electricity by reacting air, an example of a "first gas," and hydrogen (hydrogen gas), an example of a "second gas," when these gases are supplied to it. Specifically, the power generation cell 11 is integrated by sandwiching an MEA (membrane electrode assembly for fuel cells) between a hydrogen gas separator and an oxygen separator (air separator). The cooling cell 12 corresponds to a "cooling cell" and is sandwiched between the power generation cells 11, 11, so that when air, an example of a "third gas," is supplied to it, the power generation cell 11 can be cooled by heat exchange with the supplied air.

The canister connection unit 3, in conjunction with the flow rate adjustment unit 4, constitutes a "second supply unit" and, as an example, is configured to be able to connect N=6 (six pieces) hydrogen canisters C. In this case, the hydrogen canisters C are an example of a "storage unit," in which a hydrogen storage alloy is housed within a pressure vessel and is capable of absorbing and releasing hydrogen as a "second gas." Note that, as an example, the power supply device 1 in this example is configured so that a "hydrogen canister C filled with hydrogen" loaned from a hydrogen (hydrogen gas) provider can be connected to the canister connection unit 3 and hydrogen gas can be supplied to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 (the hydrogen gas separator of the power generation cell 11) via the flow rate adjustment unit 4. However, instead of this configuration, a pressure vessel fixedly installed as a component of the "power supply device" can be refilled with only hydrogen (hydrogen gas) and used as a "storage unit."

The flow rate regulator 4 adjusts the flow rate of hydrogen (hydrogen gas) supplied from each hydrogen canister C to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 (power generation cells 11) under the control of the controller 8. In this case, the power supply device 1 in this example is configured to be able to generate electricity by selecting either an operating mode in which hydrogen gas is supplied to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 from all N = 6 (six) hydrogen canisters C, C... connected to the canister connector 3 (hereinafter also referred to as the "full use mode"), or an operating mode in which hydrogen gas is supplied to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 from M = 3 (three) hydrogen canisters C, C, C of the six (six) hydrogen canisters C, C... connected to the canister connector 3, and when the remaining hydrogen in these three hydrogen canisters C, C, C decreases to a predetermined amount, hydrogen gas is supplied to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 from the remaining M = 3 hydrogen canisters C, C, C of the N = 6 hydrogen canisters C, C... (hereinafter also referred to as the "alternate use mode").

The pump 5 constitutes a "first supply unit " and a "third supply unit, " and supplies fresh air to the power generation cell 11 (oxygen separator) and the cooling cell 12 by sucking air (atmosphere), which is an example of the "first gas" and the "third gas," from the fuel cell power generation unit 2 (the oxygen separator of the power generation cell 11 and the cooling cell 12) under the control of the control unit 8 .

Heating unit 6 is an example of a "heating unit" and is configured to use, as a "heating fluid," air that has been supplied by pump 5 to power generation cell 11 (oxygen separator) and reacted with hydrogen (hydrogen gas), and air that has been supplied by pump 5 to cooling cell 12 and cooled power generation cell 11, and to heat hydrogen canister C by heat exchange with the air that serves as this "heating fluid." In this case, in the power supply device 1 of this example, heating unit 6 is configured to include heating unit 6a (first heating unit) and heating unit 6b (second heating unit) that are configured with "pipes arranged near the storage unit."

2 and 3, the heating units 6a, 6b each include spiral tubes 21a to 21f (hereinafter referred to as "spiral tubes 21" when not distinguishing between them) made of metal pipe wound in a spiral shape so that the inner diameter is large enough to fit the hydrogen canister C through, and a flow path switching unit 22 that switches the air flow path for each spiral tube 21 under the control of the control unit 8. The heating units 6a, 6b are configured to be able to heat the hydrogen canister C by heat released from the spiral tubes 21 when air is supplied to them ( one example of a configuration in which "the storage unit can be heated using a first gas drawn in by a first supply unit as a heating fluid" and another example of a configuration in which "the storage unit can be heated using a third gas drawn in by a third supply unit as a heating fluid").

In this case, the power supply device 1 of this example employs a configuration in which air as a "heating fluid" flows from the fuel cell power generation unit 2 through the heating unit 6a, drain trap 7, pump 5, and heating unit 6b in that order, heating the hydrogen canister C in heating units 6a and 6b. Note that in the power supply device 1 of this example, the configuration in which the hydrogen canister C is heated by the heating unit 6b corresponds to the configuration in which "the first gas from which moisture has been removed in the drain trap is used as a heating fluid to heat the storage unit."

Drain trap 7 is an example of a "drain trap" and is configured to separate and remove moisture from the air drawn in from the fuel cell power generation unit 2 by pump 5. The removal of moisture by drain trap 7 will be explained in detail later.

The control unit 8 is an example of a "control unit" and provides overall control of the power supply device 1. Specifically, the control unit 8 controls the pump 5 to supply air to the power generation cell 11 (oxygen separator) (air suction from the power generation cell 11) and the flow rate adjustment unit 4 to supply hydrogen from the hydrogen canister C to the power generation cell 11 (hydrogen separator) to generate electricity in the power generation cell 11, and also controls the pump 5 to supply air to the cooling cell 12 (air suction from the cooling cell 12) to cool the power generation cell 11. The control unit 8 also controls the flow path switching unit 22 in the heating unit 6 (heating units 6a and 6b) to switch the air flow path for each spiral tube 21.

In this power supply device 1, air-permeable piping (e.g., heat-resistant, elastically deformable tubing, such as rubber tubing) is used between the power generation cell 11 (oxygen separator) and cooling cell 12 of the fuel cell power generation unit 2 and the heating unit 6a (each spiral tube 21), between the heating unit 6a and the drain trap 7, between the drain trap 7 and the pump 5, and between the pump 5 and the heating unit 6b (each spiral tube 21). The length and routing of these piping can be freely specified as long as they do not result in excessive temperature drops in the air passing through them. Therefore, depending on the power generation capacity required for the power supply device 1 and the size and shape allowable for the application, the positional relationships between the fuel cell power generation unit 2 (both cells 11, 12) and the heating unit 6a, between the heating unit 6a and the drain trap 7, between the drain trap 7 and the pump 5, and between the pump 5 and the heating unit 6b can be freely specified, and the piping can be arranged according to the specified positional relationships.

When generating electricity using this power supply device 1 and supplying it to a supply target, a hydrogen canister C filled with hydrogen gas is inserted into each spiral tube 21 of the heating unit 6, as shown in Figure 2. In this case, as shown in Figure 3, in this example of the power supply device 1, as an example, both heating units 6a and 6b are configured so that the spiral tube 21 that makes up heating unit 6a is positioned around the lower part of the hydrogen canister C, and the spiral tube 21 that makes up heating unit 6b is positioned around the upper part of the hydrogen canister C (near the hydrogen gas outlet). Next, each hydrogen canister C is connected to the canister connection unit 3, as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

Next, after connecting the supply target to the power supply device 1, an operating unit (not shown) is operated to start power generation (supply of power to the supply target). At this time, the control unit 8 controls the pump 5 to start suctioning air from the fuel cell power generation unit 2. At this time, new air is supplied to the power generation cell 11 (oxygen separator) by suctioning air from the power generation cell 11 (oxygen separator) in the fuel cell power generation unit 2, and new air is supplied to the cooling cell 12 by suctioning air from the cooling cell 12 in the fuel cell power generation unit 2.

The control unit 8 also controls the flow rate adjustment unit 4 to start the supply of hydrogen to the fuel cell power generation unit 2. In this case, as described above, the power supply device 1 in this example is configured to be able to select either the "full use mode" or the "alternate use mode" to supply hydrogen from the hydrogen canister C to the fuel cell power generation unit 2.

When "alternate use mode" is selected and all six hydrogen canisters C connected to canister connection unit 3 are filled with sufficient hydrogen, control unit 8 controls flow rate adjustment unit 4 to supply hydrogen to power generation cell 11 (hydrogen separator) using only the hydrogen canisters C inserted in spiral tubes 21a-21c (hereinafter referred to as "hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc") as the hydrogen supply source; and when the remaining hydrogen in these three hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc drops to a predetermined level, the three hydrogen canisters C inserted in spiral tubes 21d-21f (hereinafter referred to as "hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf") are used as new supply sources to supply hydrogen to power generation cell 11 (hydrogen separator), replacing hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc.

Furthermore, when the remaining hydrogen amount in hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf drops to a predetermined amount, if new hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc (hydrogen canister C filled with sufficient hydrogen) are inserted into spiral tubes 21a-21c and connected to canister connector 3, hydrogen will be supplied to power generation cell 11 (hydrogen separator) using hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc as a new supply source instead of hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf. Similarly, when the remaining hydrogen amount in hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc drops to a predetermined amount, if new hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf are inserted into spiral tubes 21d-21f and connected to canister connector 3, hydrogen will be supplied to power generation cell 11 (hydrogen separator) using hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf as a new supply source instead of hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc.

On the other hand, when fresh air is supplied to the power generation cell 11 (oxygen separator) of the fuel cell power generation unit 2 by suction using the pump 5, and hydrogen is supplied from the hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc to the power generation cell 11 (hydrogen separator) via the canister connection unit 3 and the flow rate adjustment unit 4, electricity is generated in the power generation cell 11 by a reaction between the hydrogen and oxygen in the air, and this electricity is supplied from the power supply device 1 to the supply target.

During this process, the temperature of the power generation cell 11 rises due to the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen (exothermic reaction) and the presence of resistance components in each conductive member. If this temperature becomes excessively high, it becomes difficult to generate electricity properly. Therefore, the power supply device 1 of this example employs a configuration in which fresh air is supplied to the cooling cell 12 by suction using the pump 5, and the power generation cell 11 is cooled by heat exchange with this air. This prevents the power generation cell 11 from rising excessively in temperature, and also allows the air whose temperature has risen due to heat exchange with the power generation cell 11 to be exhausted from the cooling cell 12.

In addition, the air drawn into the power generation cell 11 (oxygen separator) by the pump 5 reacts with hydrogen to reduce the amount of oxygen, and is discharged from the power generation cell 11 (oxygen separator) containing water produced by the combination of hydrogen and oxygen. This air is discharged from the power generation cell 11 in a state where its temperature has increased due to the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen (exothermic reaction) and heat exchange with the power generation cell 11.

Meanwhile, the high-temperature air-fuel mixture exhausted from both cells 11, 12 of fuel cell power generation unit 2 is passed through heating unit 6a and drain trap 7 in that order in heating unit 6, and then is taken into pump 5. At this time, flow path switching unit 22 of heating unit 6a, under the control of control unit 8, switches the flow path of the mixture (air) so that the mixture exhausted from fuel cell power generation unit 2 passes through spiral tubes 21a-21c surrounding hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc that are supplying hydrogen to fuel cell power generation unit 2, but does not pass through spiral tubes 21d-21f surrounding hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf that are not supplying hydrogen to fuel cell power generation unit 2.

As a result, hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf that are not supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 are not heated, and hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc that are supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 are heated by heat dissipation from the spiral tubes 21a-21c, preventing the three hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc from excessively dropping in temperature due to an endothermic reaction, maintaining a state in which a necessary and sufficient amount of hydrogen can be supplied to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 (power generation cells 11) (this is an example of the process of "supplying heating fluid so that the degree of heating of M storage units is greater than the degree of heating of L storage units excluding M storage units out of N storage units").

Furthermore, the air that has passed through the heating unit 6a (spiral tubes 21a-21c) flows into the drain trap 7 in a state where its temperature has been reduced by heat dissipation from the spiral tubes 21a-21c. In this case, as described above, the air exhausted from the power generation cells 11 (oxygen separators) of the fuel cell power generation unit 2 contains moisture. However, as its temperature is reduced as it passes through the heating unit 6a (spiral tubes 21a-21c), some of the moisture in the gas phase is converted to liquid, and the air is released from the heating unit 6a with a higher relative humidity than when it was exhausted from the power generation cells 11. Therefore, by allowing air in this state to flow into the drain trap 7, the moisture contained in the air can be suitably separated and removed. This prevents moisture-laden air from being drawn into the pump 5, and prevents damage to the pump 5 and reduced suction efficiency due to the suction of liquid moisture.

Furthermore, the air exhausted from pump 5 (pumped by pump 5) is passed through spiral tube 21 of heating unit 6b in heating unit 6, and then undergoes any processing required in the usage environment of power supply device 1 before being released into the atmosphere. At this time, flow path switching unit 22 of heating unit 6b, under the control of control unit 8, switches the flow path of the air-fuel mixture (air) so that the air exhausted from pump 5 passes through spiral tubes 21a-21c surrounding hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc that are supplying hydrogen to fuel cell power generation unit 2, but does not pass through spiral tubes 21d-21f surrounding hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf that are not supplying hydrogen to fuel cell power generation unit 2.

In this case, the air that passes through the drain trap 7 and is drawn into the pump 5 is cooled below the temperature when it was exhausted from the fuel cell power generation unit 2 by heating the hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc in the heating unit 6a (heat is dissipated from the spiral tubes 21a-21c). However, the temperature is raised again during the compression stroke of the pump 5, and is further increased by heat exchange with the pump 5, which is already at a high temperature. As a result, the temperature of the air introduced into the heating unit 6b is extremely high.

Therefore, when this air is supplied to the heating unit 6b, the hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc that are supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 are sufficiently heated by heat dissipation from the spiral tubes 21a-21c. This prevents the hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf that are not supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 from being heated, reliably preventing the three hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc that are releasing hydrogen from being heated and causing an excessive drop in temperature due to an endothermic reaction, and reliably maintains a state in which a necessary and sufficient amount of hydrogen can be supplied to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 (power generation cells 11).

On the other hand, when it becomes difficult to release a sufficient amount of hydrogen from the three hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc heated by the spiral tubes 21a-21c of the heating units 6a, 6b (when the remaining hydrogen level in hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc falls below a specified level), the control unit 8 controls the flow rate adjustment unit 4 to use hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf as the hydrogen supply source instead of hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc to supply hydrogen to the power generation cell 11 (hydrogen separator), and causes a display unit (not shown) to indicate that the remaining hydrogen level in hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc has fallen to a specified value (such as by lighting an indicator indicating low remaining level). This ensures a continuous supply of hydrogen necessary for power generation to the fuel cell power generation unit 2.

Furthermore, when a user recognizes that the remaining amount of hydrogen in hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc has fallen to a predetermined value, they can replace the hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc with new hydrogen canisters C before the remaining amount of hydrogen in hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf falls to the predetermined value. This makes it possible to continue supplying the hydrogen needed for power generation to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 from the new replaced hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc when the remaining amount of hydrogen in hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf falls to the predetermined value.

In parallel with the process of switching the hydrogen supply source to hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf, the control unit 8 controls the flow path switching unit 22 of the heating unit 6 (heating units 6a, 6b) to switch the flow path of the mixture (air) so that the mixture exhausted from the fuel cell power generation unit 2 passes through the spiral tubes 21d-21f surrounding the hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf that are supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell power generation unit 2, and does not pass through the spiral tubes 21a-21c surrounding the hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc that are not supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell power generation unit 2.

As a result, the hydrogen canisters Ca to Cc that are not supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 are not heated, and the hydrogen canisters Cd to Cf that are supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 are heated by heat dissipation from the spiral tubes 21d to 21f, thereby preventing the temperature of these three hydrogen canisters Cd to Cf from dropping excessively due to an endothermic reaction, and maintaining a state in which a necessary and sufficient amount of hydrogen can be supplied to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 (power generation cells 11) (another example of the process of "supplying heating fluid so that the degree of heating of M storage units is greater than the degree of heating of L storage units excluding the M storage units out of the N storage units").

Furthermore, the air that has passed through heating section 6a (spiral tubes 21d-21f) has moisture removed when it passes through drain trap 7, and is then sucked into pump 5 and supplied to heating section 6b (spiral tubes 21d-21f). In this case, as mentioned above, the air exhausted from pump 5 has its temperature raised again during the compression stroke and is further heated by the heat generated by the operation of pump 5, resulting in an extremely high temperature.

Therefore, when this air is supplied to heating unit 6b, the heat released from spiral tubes 21d-21f heats the hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf that are supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell power generation unit 2. This prevents the three hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf that are releasing hydrogen from being heated and causing an excessive drop in temperature due to an endothermic reaction, without heating the hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc that are not supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell power generation unit 2. This reliably maintains a state in which a necessary and sufficient amount of hydrogen can be supplied to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 (power generation cells 11).

Although detailed explanation will be omitted, when the remaining amount of hydrogen in hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf falls below a specified amount, a process is carried out in which hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc become the hydrogen supply source instead of hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf, in the same way as when the remaining amount of hydrogen in hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc falls below the specified amount. This allows the fuel cell power generation unit 2 to continue to be supplied with the hydrogen necessary for power generation.

In this way, this power supply device 1 is configured to be able to supply the power generated by the fuel cell power generation unit 2 to a supply target, and is equipped with a heating unit 6 configured to be able to heat the hydrogen canister C by heat exchange with the "heating fluid," using the "first gas (in this example, air)" that is supplied to the power generation cell 11 of the fuel cell power generation unit 2 by the "first supply unit (in this example, pump 5)" and reacted with the "second gas (in this example, hydrogen (hydrogen gas))."

This power supply device 1 is also configured to be able to supply the power generated by the fuel cell power generation unit 2 to a supply target, and is equipped with a heating unit 6 configured to use a "third gas (in this example, air)" supplied to the cooling cell 12 of the fuel cell power generation unit 2 by a "third supply unit (in this example, pump 5)" to cool the power generation cell 11, as a "heating fluid," and to heat the hydrogen canister C through heat exchange with the "heating fluid."

Therefore, with this power supply device 1, unlike a configuration in which the fuel cell power generation unit 2 and the hydrogen canister C are directly connected by a thermal connection member or the like and heat is transferred from the fuel cell power generation unit 2 to the hydrogen canister C, even if the relative positions of the fuel cell power generation unit 2 and the hydrogen canister C are arbitrarily determined, the hydrogen canister C can be reliably and easily heated by supplying the air exhausted from the fuel cell power generation unit 2 to the heating unit 6 (heating units 6a, 6b). This significantly improves the design freedom of the power supply device 1 while ensuring a necessary and sufficient amount of hydrogen is reliably and continuously supplied from the hydrogen canister C to the fuel cell power generation unit 2. Furthermore, because it is possible to heat multiple hydrogen canisters C without increasing the complexity or size of the configuration, hydrogen can be stably supplied to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 without incurring high manufacturing costs.

Furthermore, this power supply device 1 includes spiral tubes 21a-21f arranged near the hydrogen canister C. The heating unit 6 is configured so that the hydrogen canister C can be heated by heat dissipated from the spiral tubes 21a-21f when a "heating fluid" is supplied to the spiral tubes 21a-21f. This allows the hydrogen canister C to be heated by heat dissipated from the spiral tubes 21a-21f without moisture or other substances contained in the air exhausted from the fuel cell power generation unit 2 adhering to the hydrogen canister C. This allows for optimal power generation even when using a loaned hydrogen canister C or a hydrogen canister C that is not allowed to have moisture or other substances adhering to it as the "storage unit."

In addition, in this power supply device 1, the "second supply unit (in this example, the canister connection unit 3 and the flow rate adjustment unit 4)" is configured to be able to connect N=6 hydrogen canisters C and to supply a "second gas" to the power generation cell 11 from a pre-specified M=3 hydrogen canisters C out of the six hydrogen canisters C, and the heating unit 6 is configured to supply a "heating fluid" so that the degree of heating of the three hydrogen canisters C is greater than the degree of heating of the L=3 hydrogen canisters C excluding the M=3 hydrogen canisters C out of the six hydrogen canisters C.

Therefore, with this described power supply device 1, it is possible to avoid a situation in which a hydrogen canister C that is not supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 is unnecessarily heated, causing the internal pressure of that hydrogen canister C to become excessively high and creating a dangerous situation. It also efficiently heats the hydrogen canister C that is supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell power generation unit 2, preventing an excessive drop in temperature due to the endothermic effect, and more reliably supplies a necessary and sufficient amount of hydrogen from that hydrogen canister C to the fuel cell power generation unit 2.

In addition, in this power supply device 1, the "first supply unit" includes a pump 5 that draws in a "first gas" from the power generation cell 11, and the heating unit 6 is configured to be able to heat the hydrogen canister C using the "first gas" drawn in by the pump 5 as a "heating fluid." In addition, in this power supply device 1, the "third supply unit" includes a pump 5 that draws in a "third gas" from the cooling cell 12, and the heating unit 6 is configured to be able to heat the hydrogen canister C using the "third gas" drawn in by the pump 5 as a "heating fluid."

Therefore, unlike a configuration in which air is pressurized to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 by a pressure-type "pump" and the air that has passed through the fuel cell power generation unit 2 is then supplied to the heating unit 6 to heat the hydrogen canister C, this power supply unit 1 can reliably supply high-temperature air exhausted from the fuel cell power generation unit 2 to the heating unit 6 without causing a situation in which the movement of the air becomes difficult due to pressure loss before it reaches the heating unit 6, and without interfering with the supply of new air to the fuel cell power generation unit 2.

Furthermore, with this power supply device 1, the heating unit 6 (heating unit 6b) uses the "first gas" from which moisture has been removed in the drain trap 7 as a "heating fluid" to heat the hydrogen canister C, thereby advantageously avoiding a situation in which liquid-phase moisture is discharged from the heating unit 6 (heating unit 6b) along with the air exhausted from the heating unit 6 (heating unit 6b) after the hydrogen canister C is heated.

Note that the configuration of the "power supply device" is not limited to the example configuration of power supply device 1 described above.

For example, the power supply device 1A shown in Figure 4 is another example of a "power supply device," and is configured with a heating unit 9, another example of a "heating unit," instead of the heating unit 6 in the power supply device 1 described above. Note that components in this power supply device 1A that have the same functions as those in power supply device 1 are assigned the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

In this case, as shown in Figure 5, the heating section 9 in this power supply device 1A is equipped with canister storage sections 25a to 25f (an example of a "storage section"; hereinafter, when not distinguishing between them, they will also be referred to as "canister storage sections 25") that can each store N-6 (six) hydrogen canisters C, and is configured to supply air as a "heating fluid" to each canister storage section 25, thereby blowing the air onto the hydrogen canisters C within the canister storage section 25 to heat them.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, this power supply device 1A employs a configuration in which high-temperature air exhausted from the fuel cell power generation unit 2 (the oxygen separator of the power generation cell 11 and the cooling cell 12) by suction with the pump 5 has moisture removed as it passes through the drain trap 7, and this air is supplied to each canister housing 25 of the heating unit 9 as a "heating fluid" (another example of a configuration in which "the first gas from which moisture has been removed in the drain trap is used as a heating fluid to heat the storage unit").

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, the flow path switching unit 22 of the heating unit 9 in this power supply device 1A switches the flow path under the control of the control unit 8 to supply the air that has passed through the drain trap 7 to either canister housing units 25a-25c or canister housing units 25d-25f. This makes it possible, similar to the heating unit 6 in the power supply device 1 described above, to selectively heat either the hydrogen canisters C housed in canister housing units 25a-25c (hereinafter also referred to as "hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc") or the hydrogen canisters C housed in canister housing units 25d-25f (hereinafter also referred to as "hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf") when the "alternate use mode" is selected.

In this power supply device 1A, air (first gas) supplied by pump 5 to the power generation cell 11 (oxygen separator) and reacted with hydrogen (hydrogen gas), and air (third gas) supplied by pump 5 to the cooling cell 12 to cool the power generation cell 11, are used as "heating fluids." By supplying this air as "heating fluid" to the heating unit 9 (canister housing 25), high-temperature air is blown onto the hydrogen canister C housed in the canister housing 25, thereby heating the hydrogen canister C.

Note that the operation of this power supply unit 1A is the same as when the power supply unit 1 generates electricity, except that air exhausted from the fuel cell power generation unit 2 is supplied to the canister housing unit 25 and sprayed onto the hydrogen canister C, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

In this way, with this power supply device 1A, the heating unit 9 is configured to be able to heat the hydrogen canister C by spraying a "heating fluid" onto it, so despite the relatively simple configuration, the hydrogen canister C can be reliably heated by the high-temperature air exhausted from the fuel cell power generation unit 2.

Furthermore, this power supply device 1A is provided with a canister housing section 25 capable of housing a hydrogen canister C, and is configured with a heating section 9 that can spray the heating fluid onto the hydrogen canister C within the canister housing section 25 by supplying a "heating fluid" to the canister housing section 25.This prevents the high-temperature air sprayed onto the hydrogen canister C from being reflected off the hydrogen canister C and being sprayed onto the components surrounding the hydrogen canister C, allowing the hydrogen canister C within the canister housing section 25 to be heated efficiently, while also effectively avoiding unnecessary temperature increases in the components surrounding the hydrogen canister C.

The heating unit 9 in the power supply unit 1A described above is configured to include canister housing units 25a-25f, each capable of housing six hydrogen canisters C, and to supply high-temperature air to either canister housing units 25a-25c or canister housing units 25d-25f by switching the flow path using the flow path switching unit 22. However, instead of this configuration, the heating unit 9A shown in FIG. 6 can be configured with a single canister housing unit 26 (another example of a "housing unit") capable of housing six hydrogen canisters C, such that the supplied air passes sequentially around the six hydrogen canisters C. In this heating unit 9A, high-temperature air that has risen in temperature in the fuel cell power generation unit 2 is supplied to the canister housing unit 26 and passes from the inlet 26i to the outlet 26o, allowing the air to be blown sequentially onto the hydrogen canisters C within the canister housing unit 26 to heat them.

7, a canister housing section 27 capable of housing N=6 (six) hydrogen canisters C can be provided with two inlets 27i1, 27i2 and two outlets 27o1, 27o2. In this case, the heating section 9B shown in the figure has countercurrents between the air flow from the inlet 27i1 toward the outlet 27o1 and the air flow from the inlet 27i2 toward the outlet 27o2. The positions of the hydrogen canisters C are determined so that a portion of the air introduced into the canister housing section 27 from the inlet 27i1 is blown onto the hydrogen canister C closest to the outlet 27o2, and a portion of the air introduced into the canister housing section 27 from the inlet 27i2 is blown onto the hydrogen canister C closest to the outlet 27o1. This allows the heating section 9B to heat the six hydrogen canisters C almost evenly.

Furthermore, as an example, the heating unit 9C shown in Figure 8 is configured with canister accommodating units 25a-25f that can accommodate a hydrogen canister C, similar to the canister accommodating unit 25 in the heating unit 9, instead of the heating unit 6b in the heating unit 6 described above. As a result, in this heating unit 9C, the hydrogen canister C can be suitably heated by the spiral tube 21 of the heating unit 6a and the canister accommodating unit 25, similar to the heating unit 6 that includes heating units 6a and 6b.

In addition, while the configuration in which air is supplied as a "heating fluid" to the "heating unit" to heat the "storage unit" has been described as an example, if a configuration is adopted in which an "oxidizer-containing gas" other than air is used as the "first gas," or if any gas other than air is used as the "third gas," these gases can be used to generate electricity in the "fuel cell power generation unit," and the high-temperature gas exhausted from the "fuel cell power generation unit" can be used as a "heating fluid" to heat the "storage unit."

In addition , although an example of a configuration in which electricity is generated using N=6 (six pieces) hydrogen canisters C has been described, the number of "storage sections" is not limited to this and can be any number other than six, or can be one.

1, 1A Power supply device 2 Fuel cell power generation unit 3 Canister connection unit 4 Flow rate adjustment unit 5 Pump 5
6, 6a, 6b, 9, 9A to 9C Heating section 7 Drain trap 11 Power generation cell 12 Cooling cell 21a to 21f Spiral tube 22 Flow path switching section 25a to 25f, 26, 27 Canister storage section 25i, 26i, 27i1, 27i2 Inlet 25o, 26o, 27o1, 27o2 Outlet C Hydrogen canister

Claims (6)

a fuel cell power generation unit including a power generation cell configured to generate electricity by reacting a first gas containing an oxidant with a second gas containing hydrogen , and a cooling cell that cools the power generation cell by heat exchange with a third gas ;
a first supply unit that supplies the first gas to the power generation cell;
a second supply unit configured to be connectable to a storage unit in which the second gas is occluded and to supply the second gas from the storage unit to the power generation cell;
a third supply unit that supplies the third gas to the cooling cell;
a control unit that controls the supply of the first gas by the first supply unit , the supply of the second gas by the second supply unit , and the supply of the third gas by the third supply unit ;
a power supply device configured to be able to supply power generated by the fuel cell power generation unit to a supply target,
a heating unit configured to be able to heat the storage unit by heat exchange with the heating fluid, using the first gas supplied to the power generation cell by the first supply unit and reacted with the second gas, and the third gas supplied to the cooling cell by the third supply unit and cooling the power generation cell, as heating fluids , and the first supply unit and the third supply unit are configured by one pump;
The heating unit is configured to be able to use a mixture of the first gas sucked from the power generation cell by the one pump and the third gas sucked from the cooling cell by the one pump as the heating fluid, and the power supply device is equipped with a first heating unit that uses the mixture as the heating fluid upstream of the one pump in the flow path of the mixture to heat the storage unit, and a second heating unit that uses the mixture as the heating fluid downstream of the one pump in the flow path of the mixture to heat the storage unit . a drain trap disposed between the first heating unit and the one pump in a flow path of the air-fuel mixture to remove moisture from the air-fuel mixture ;
2. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the second heating section heats the storage section by using, as the heating fluid , the air-fuel mixture from which moisture has been removed in the drain trap and which is discharged from the one pump . 2. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit includes a pipe body arranged near the storage unit, and the heating fluid is supplied to the pipe body so that the storage unit can be heated by heat radiation from the pipe body . 2. The power supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the heating section is configured to spray the heating fluid onto the storage section to heat the storage section. The power supply device of claim 4, wherein the heating unit includes a housing capable of housing the storage unit, and is configured so that the heating fluid can be supplied to the housing, thereby spraying the heating fluid onto the storage unit within the housing. the second supply unit is configured to be connectable to N storage units (N is a natural number equal to or greater than 2) and to be able to supply the second gas from pre-designated M storage units (M is a natural number equal to or less than (N-1)) among the N storage units to the power generation cell;
2. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit is configured to supply the heating fluid so that the degree of heating of the M storage units is greater than the degree of heating of the L storage units excluding the M storage units among the N storage units.