JP7786964B2 - Fuel cell module and fuel cell device - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a fuel cell module and a fuel cell device.

Typically, for ease of handling, a fuel cell stack is housed in a housing as a power generation unit, along with a reformer if necessary, to form a fuel cell module. The power generation unit is equipped with a supply pipe for supplying fuel gas or raw fuel gas and a bus bar for outputting generated electricity. These supply pipes, bus bars, and other pull-out members are inserted through the housing and extended to the exterior. The pull-out members extended from the housing are connected to surrounding piping and wiring when the fuel cell module is assembled into a fuel cell device. For ease of maintenance, a proposed fuel cell module configuration includes a housing with openings on two opposing sides, through which the cell stack device and reformer can be inserted, and two plate members that close the openings allow the pull-out members to be pulled out from within (see Patent Document 1). Another proposed configuration, for easier installation, involves pulling out all of the pull-out members from one side of the housing (see Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-098146 Patent No. 6867401

However, the fuel cell module described in Patent Document 1 may place restrictions on the placement of the fuel cell module's accessories when installed in a fuel cell device. Furthermore, the fuel cell module described in Patent Document 2 is prone to interference between the components that separately connect the multiple pull-out members outside the fuel cell module.

The objective of this disclosure is to provide a fuel cell module and a fuel cell device that, when incorporated into a fuel cell device, reduces restrictions on the placement of auxiliary equipment and suppresses interference between multiple connecting members external to the fuel cell module.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a fuel cell module according to a first aspect comprises:
a rectangular parallelepiped housing having a pair of opposing bottom surfaces and a plurality of side surfaces connecting the pair of bottom surfaces;
a power generation unit housed in the housing;
a first drawer member connected to the power generation unit and drawn out from a first side surface of the plurality of side surfaces;
a second pull-out member connected to the power generation unit and pulled out from a second side surface adjacent to the first side surface among the plurality of side surfaces,
the housing has a main body that is open on the first side surface side and a cover member that includes the first side surface,
The area of the first side surface is larger than the area of the second side surface .
A fuel cell module according to a second aspect comprises:
a rectangular parallelepiped housing having a pair of opposing bottom surfaces and a plurality of side surfaces connecting the pair of bottom surfaces;
a power generation unit housed in the housing;
a first drawer member connected to the power generation unit and drawn out from a first side surface of the plurality of side surfaces;
a second pull-out member connected to the power generation unit and pulled out from a second side surface adjacent to the first side surface among the plurality of side surfaces,
the housing has a main body that is open on the first side surface side and a cover member that includes the first side surface,
The first draw-out member is a bus bar connected to the power generation unit.

A fuel cell device according to a third aspect comprises:
The fuel cell module includes a rectangular parallelepiped housing having a pair of opposing bottom surfaces and a plurality of side surfaces connecting the pair of bottom surfaces, a power generation unit housed in the housing, a first pull-out member connected to the power generation unit and pulled out from a first side surface among the plurality of side surfaces, and a second pull-out member connected to the power generation unit and pulled out from a second side surface adjacent to the first side surface among the plurality of side surfaces, the housing having a main body opening on the first side surface side and a cover member including the first side surface, and the area of the first side surface is larger than the area of the second side surface .
A fuel cell device according to a fourth aspect comprises:
The fuel cell assembly includes a rectangular parallelepiped housing having a pair of opposing bottom surfaces and a plurality of side surfaces connecting the pair of bottom surfaces, a power generation unit housed in the housing, a first pull-out member connected to the power generation unit and pulled out from a first side surface among the plurality of side surfaces, and a second pull-out member connected to the power generation unit and pulled out from a second side surface adjacent to the first side surface among the plurality of side surfaces, the housing having a main body opening on the first side surface side and a cover member including the first side surface, and the first pull-out member is equipped with a fuel cell module which is a bus bar connected to the power generation unit.

The fuel cell module and fuel cell device according to the present disclosure configured as described above can reduce restrictions on the placement of auxiliary equipment when incorporated into a fuel cell device, and can suppress interference with multiple connecting members external to the fuel cell module.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the fuel cell module according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the housing of FIG. 1. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the main body cut in a vertical plane downward to show a first state in the manufacturing process of the fuel cell module of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the main body cut vertically downward to show a second state in the manufacturing process of the fuel cell module of FIG. 1 . FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the main body taken along a cross section perpendicular to the downward direction, illustrating a third state in the manufacturing process of the fuel cell module of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the main body taken along a cross section perpendicular to the downward direction, illustrating a fourth state in the manufacturing process of the fuel cell module of FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the main body taken along a cross section perpendicular to the downward direction, showing a fifth state in the manufacturing process of the fuel cell module of FIG. 1. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the main body cut in a vertical cross section downward to show a first state in a manufacturing process of a fuel cell module of a comparative example. FIG.

Embodiments of fuel cell modules incorporating the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings.

A fuel cell module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may constitute a fuel cell device together with a mechanism for adjusting the amount of fuel gas and reforming water supplied to the fuel cell module, a cooling mechanism for off-gas discharged from the fuel cell module, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel cell module 10 of this embodiment includes a housing 11, a power generation unit 12, and a drawer member 13.

The housing 11 is rectangular and has a pair of bottom surfaces and multiple side surfaces connecting the pair of bottom surfaces. A fuel cell device including the fuel cell module 10 has a fixed orientation relative to the ground when installed. In this specification, the direction of the fuel cell module 10 within the fuel cell device that is vertically upward in its orientation relative to the ground is referred to as the "upward direction." In this specification, the direction of the fuel cell module 10 within the fuel cell device that is vertically downward in its orientation relative to the ground is referred to as the "downward direction." The pair of bottom surfaces may include an upper bottom surface us on the upward side and a lower bottom surface bs on the downward side. The multiple side surfaces may include a first side surface ss1, a second side surface ss2, a third side surface ss3 (see FIG. 3), and a fourth side surface ss4. The first side surface ss1 and the third side surface ss3 face each other, and the second side surface ss2 and the fourth side surface ss4 face each other. Therefore, the first side surface ss1 and the second side surface ss2 intersect. The area of the first side surface ss1 may be larger than the area of the second side surface ss2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 11 may be configured to include a main body 14 and a lid member 15. The main body 14 may have a rectangular box shape with an opening on the first side ss1 side. More specifically, the main body 14 may be open on the entire surface on the first side ss1 side. The lid member 15 may function as a lid that covers the opening of the main body 14. In other words, the lid member 15 may have the first side ss1 of the housing 11.

A first insertion hole ih1 may be formed in the first side surface ss1. When the power generation unit 12 is housed in the housing 11, the first insertion hole ih1 may be formed at the same position as the first drawer member 16, described below, when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the first side surface ss1. The first insertion hole ih1 may be formed in, for example, two locations. On the first side surface ss1, the first insertion hole ih1 may have the same shape and approximately the same size as a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the first drawer member 16, described below. On the first side surface ss1, the first insertion hole ih1 may be located, for example, between the upper bottom surface us and the lower bottom surface bs, on the lower bottom surface bs side.

A second insertion hole ih2 may be formed in the second side surface ss2. When the power generation unit 12 is housed in the housing 11, the second insertion hole ih2 may be formed at the same position as the second drawer member 17 connected to the power generation unit 12, as viewed perpendicular to the second side surface ss2. The second insertion hole ih2 may be formed in three locations, for example. On the second side surface ss2, the second insertion hole ih2 may be larger than a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the second drawer member 17 (described below), allowing the second drawer member 17 to be inserted obliquely. On the second side surface ss2, the position of the second insertion hole ih2 relative to the bottom surfaces us and bs may be different from that of the first insertion hole ih1. Specifically, the second insertion hole ih2 may be located on the upper bottom surface us side between the upper bottom surface us and the lower bottom surface bs.

The power generation unit 12 includes at least a fuel cell stack. The power generation unit 12 may further include a reformer and a vaporizer. The power generation unit 12 may include a reformer, but not a vaporizer. The vaporizer may be separate from the reformer, or may be integrated with the reformer. In a specific example, the power generation unit 12 includes a reformer integrated with the fuel cell stack and the vaporizer. The power generation unit 12 may include an oxidant gas supply path that supplies oxidant gas to the fuel cell stack, and an exhaust path that exhausts off-gas, described below, from the fuel cell stack. The power generation unit 12 is housed in a housing 11.

The fuel cell stack is supplied with fuel gas from the reformer. Oxidant gas is supplied to the fuel cell stack from outside the fuel cell module 10. The fuel cell stack generates electricity through an electrochemical reaction between the oxidant gas and fuel gas. The fuel cell stack supplies the generated electricity to the outside of the fuel cell module 10 via a bus bar connected to the fuel cell stack. The fuel cell stack discharges gases produced by the electrochemical reaction, as well as unreacted fuel gas and oxidant gas, to the outside of the fuel cell module 10. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the gas discharged from the fuel cell stack is also referred to as off-gas.

The reformer is supplied with raw fuel gas and vaporized water from the vaporizer. The reformer produces fuel gas by steam reforming the raw fuel gas. The vaporizer is supplied with raw fuel gas and water. The vaporizer vaporizes the water.

The drawer member 13 is connected to the power generation unit 12. More specifically, the drawer member 13 is directly connected to the components of the power generation unit 12. The drawer member 13 may be a rod-shaped member whose tip extends perpendicularly to the first side surface ss1 or the second side surface ss2 from the power generation unit 12 housed in the normal position in the housing 11. The normal position refers to the position of the power generation unit 12 determined within the housing 11. The drawer member 13 may extend linearly from the power generation unit 12, or may bend on the power generation unit 12 side and extend perpendicularly to the first side surface ss1 or the second side surface ss2 at its tip.

The draw-out member 13 is, for example, a pair of bus bars connected to the fuel cell stack, or a draw-out member for the reformer. The draw-out member for the reformer is, for example, a raw fuel gas supply pipe, a water supply pipe, or an ignition heater that ignites the burner for the reformer. The draw-out member 13 may also be a sensor such as a thermocouple used for temperature measurement. In a configuration that includes an oxidant gas supply path that supplies oxidant gas to the power generation unit 12 and an exhaust path that exhausts off-gas (described below) from the fuel cell stack, and in which these are not fixed to the housing 11, the draw-out member 13 may include the oxidant gas supply path and the exhaust path.

The drawer member 13 consists of a first drawer member 16 and a second drawer member 17.

The first drawer member 16 is drawn out from the first side surface ss1 when the power generation unit 12 is housed in the housing 11 in the normal position. More specifically, the first drawer member 16 is inserted through the first insertion hole ih1 in the first side surface ss1 and drawn out from inside the housing 11 to the outside.

The first drawer member 16 may be a rod-shaped member whose tip extends perpendicular to the first side surface ss1 from the power generation unit 12 housed in the normal position in the housing 11. The first drawer member 16 may extend linearly from the power generation unit 12, or may bend on the power generation unit 12 side and extend perpendicular to the first side surface ss1 at its tip.

The first drawer member 16 is part of the drawer member 13. The first drawer member 16 is, for example, a pair of bus bars connected to the fuel cell stack. The first drawer member 16 may be part of the drawer member 13 and may be something other than a bus bar. For example, the first drawer member 16 may include a component other than a bus bar, such as a thermocouple or other sensor used for temperature measurement.

The second drawer member 17 is drawn out from the second side surface ss2 when the power generation unit 12 is housed in the housing 11 in the normal position. More specifically, the second drawer member 17 is inserted through the second insertion hole ih2 in the second side surface ss2 and drawn out from inside the housing 11 to the outside.

The second drawer member 17 may be a rod-shaped member whose tip extends perpendicular to the second side surface ss2 from the power generation unit 12 housed in the normal position in the housing 11. The second drawer member 17 may extend linearly from the power generation unit 12, or may bend on the power generation unit 12 side and extend perpendicular to the second side surface ss2 at its tip.

As mentioned above, the position of the second insertion hole ih2 relative to the bottom surfaces us and bs may be different from that of the first insertion hole ih1. Therefore, the position of the second drawer member 17 relative to the bottom surfaces us and bs may be different from that of the first drawer member 16. The amount by which the second drawer member 17 protrudes from the housing 11 may be greater than the amount by which the first drawer member 16 protrudes from the housing 11.

The second drawer member 17 is a drawer member 13 other than the first drawer member 16. The second drawer member 17 is, for example, a drawer member for a reformer. The second drawer member 17 may be any part of the drawer member 13, and may include only a portion of the drawer member for the reformer, or may not include all of the drawer members for the reformer. For example, the second drawer member 17 may include other drawer members, such as an oxidant gas supply channel that supplies oxidant gas to the fuel cell stack and an exhaust channel that exhausts off-gas, which will be described later, from the fuel cell stack.

A method for manufacturing the fuel cell module 10 is described below. As shown in FIG. 3, the main body 14 is positioned so that the third side surface ss3 faces vertically downward. If necessary, a heat insulating material may be placed on the inner wall of the main body 14 on the side of the third side surface ss3, and an oxidant gas supply channel and an exhaust channel may also be formed or placed. Below, a method for storing the fuel cell stack and reformer of the power generation unit 12 in the main body 14 is described. Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the second pull-out member 17 connected to the power generation unit 12 is inserted into the second insertion hole ih2 from an oblique angle vertically above the main body 14.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the second drawer member 17 is inserted into the second insertion hole ih2 while repeatedly displacing the power generation unit 12 toward the second side surface ss2 and rotating it vertically downward. If necessary, insulating material may be placed between the inner walls of the second side surface ss2 and the fourth side surface ss4 and the power generation unit 12. Furthermore, if necessary, insulating material may be filled in the gap between the second insertion hole ih2 and the second drawer member 17. Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the first drawer member 16 is inserted into the first insertion hole ih1 while the cover member 15 is moved vertically downward relative to the main body 14. Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the cover member 15 is joined to the main body 14 with the opening of the main body 14 closed by the cover member 15.

The fuel cell module 10 of this embodiment, configured as described above, includes a first pull-out member 16 extending from a first side surface ss1 of the housing 11, and a second pull-out member 17 extending from a second side surface ss2 adjacent to the first side surface ss1. In a configuration in which multiple pull-out members 13, combined like bus bars and connected to fuel cell device auxiliaries, are separately extended from two opposing surfaces, a member is provided to route the multiple pull-out members 13 to adjacent positions. In such a configuration, the routing member is installed on the surface connecting the two opposing surfaces from which the multiple pull-out members 13 are separately extended, making it difficult to position the auxiliaries adjacent to the connecting surface. On the other hand, the fuel cell module 10 configured as described above allows the first pull-out member 16 and the second pull-out member 17 to be extended from two adjacent side surfaces ss1 and ss2, respectively, thereby reducing restrictions on the placement of auxiliaries. Therefore, the fuel cell module 10 improves the design flexibility of fuel cell devices. Furthermore, with the above-described configuration, the fuel cell module 10 has multiple pull-out members 13 that are pulled out separately from the first side surface ss1 and the second side surface ss2. This reduces interference with the piping and terminals connected to each pull-out member 13 outside the fuel cell module 10, compared to a configuration in which the pull-out members 13 are pulled out from a single surface. Furthermore, with the above-described configuration, the pull-out members 13 are all pulled out from the side surfaces rather than the upper bottom surface us, which allows for greater design freedom when applied to fuel cell devices with height restrictions.

In addition, in the fuel cell module 10 of this embodiment, the first and second drawer members 16 and 17 are pulled out from the housing 11 at different positions in the normal direction to the bottom surfaces us and bs. Generally, in a configuration in which the power generation unit 12 includes a cylindrical fuel cell stack, the first drawer member (bus bar) 16 is pulled out from the underside of the fuel cell stack, a reformer is positioned above the fuel cell stack, and the second drawer member 17 is pulled out from the reformer. Therefore, the first and second drawer members 16 and 17 are pulled out from the housing 11 at different positions. In this configuration, the fuel cell module 10 can shorten the routing of the first and second drawer members 16 and 17.

Furthermore, in the fuel cell module 10 of this embodiment, the first drawer member 16 is drawn out from a position on the lower bottom surface bs side between the upper bottom surface us and the lower bottom surface bs. With this configuration, the fuel cell module 10 can have a lower center of gravity because the height position of the first drawer member 16 side is lower than in a configuration in which the height positions of both the first drawer member 16 and the second drawer member 17 are higher.

Furthermore, in the fuel cell module 10 of this embodiment, the second drawer member 17 is drawn out from a position on the upper bottom surface us side between the upper bottom surface us and the lower bottom surface bs. With this configuration, in the fuel cell module 10, the second drawer member 17 serves as a discharge path for discharging off-gas, and in a configuration in which a vertically extending heat exchanger needs to be connected to the second drawer member 17, the high height position of the second drawer member 17 makes it possible to ensure space for the heat exchanger.

In addition, in the fuel cell module 10 of this embodiment, the housing 11 includes a main body 14 that is open on the first side surface ss1 and a lid member 15 that also includes the first side surface ss1. With this configuration, the first drawer member 16 of the fuel cell module 10 can be pulled out from the lid member 15 side. As shown in FIG. 8 , in a housing in which the main body 14′ has the first side surface ss1, when inserting the power generation unit 12 with the first drawer member 16 fixed thereto, as in this embodiment, it is necessary to insert the second drawer member 17 into the second insertion hole ih2 while rotating the power generation unit 12, and then insert the first drawer member 16 into the first insertion hole ih1. With this manufacturing method, the first drawer member 16 is likely to get caught on the inner wall of the main body 14′, potentially bending the first drawer member 16. This makes manufacturing the fuel cell module 10 more difficult. On the other hand, in the fuel cell module 10 having the above-described configuration, after inserting the second drawer member 17 into the second insertion hole ih2 to house the power generation unit 12 in the main body 14, the lid member 15 can be used to cover the opening of the main body 14 so that the first drawer member 16 can be inserted into the first insertion hole ih1. Therefore, the fuel cell module 10 can be manufactured more easily than a configuration in which the main body 14' has a first side surface ss1. Furthermore, in the fuel cell module 10, because not all of the drawer members 13 are pulled out from the lid member 15, the alignment and fine adjustment required to insert the first drawer member 16 into the first insertion hole ih1 can be reduced.

Furthermore, in the fuel cell module 10 of this embodiment, the area of the first side surface ss1 is larger than the area of the second side surface ss2. This configuration allows the fuel cell module 10 to have a large opening for inserting the power generation unit 12 into the main body 14 during manufacturing. Therefore, the fuel cell module 10 makes it easier to insert the second pull-out member 17 into the second insertion hole ih2 compared to a configuration in which the power generation unit 12 is inserted into the main body 14 through a narrow opening.

In addition, in the fuel cell module 10 of this embodiment, the second drawer member 17 protrudes from the housing 11 by a greater amount than the first drawer member 16. That is, as shown in Figures 4 to 6, when the power generation unit 12 is inserted obliquely through the opening of the housing 11, increasing the length of the second drawer member 17 pulled out from the housing increases the moment, enabling stable insertion and preventing the second drawer member 17 from slipping out after insertion. In this case, increasing the dimensions of the second insertion hole ih2 facilitates oblique insertion, and the gap can be filled with insulating material. On the other hand, if the first drawer member is too long, the overall size of the fuel cell module 10 increases. Furthermore, it becomes difficult to insert the cover member 15 stably into the first insertion hole ih1, reducing workability. In other words, by making the second drawer member 17 protrude from the housing 11 longer than the first drawer member 16, it is possible to reduce the size of the fuel cell module 10 while suppressing misalignment of the power generation unit 12.

Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described based on various drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art would be able to make various modifications or alterations based on this disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications or alterations are included within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component, etc. can be rearranged so as not to cause logical inconsistencies, and multiple components, etc. can be combined into one or divided.

All of the features described in this disclosure and/or all steps of all disclosed methods or processes may be combined in any combination except combinations in which these features are mutually exclusive. Furthermore, each feature described in this disclosure may be replaced by an alternative feature serving the same, equivalent, or similar purpose, unless expressly denied. Thus, unless expressly denied, each disclosed feature is merely one example of a generic series of identical or equivalent features.

Furthermore, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the specific configurations of any of the embodiments described above. Embodiments of the present disclosure may extend to any novel feature or combination thereof described herein, or any novel method or process step or combination thereof described herein.

In this disclosure, terms such as "first" and "second" are identifiers used to distinguish the components. In this disclosure, the components distinguished by terms such as "first" and "second" may have their numbers interchanged. For example, the first drawer member and the second drawer member may have their identifiers "first" and "second" interchanged. The identifiers are interchanged simultaneously. The components remain distinct even after the identifiers are interchanged. Identifiers may be deleted. A component from which an identifier has been deleted is distinguished by a reference number. The identifiers "first" and "second" used in this disclosure should not be used solely to interpret the order of the components or to justify the existence of an identifier with a lower number.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 fuel cell module 11 housing 12 power generation unit 13 drawer member 14 main body 15 cover member 16 first drawer member 17 second drawer member bs lower bottom surface ih1 first insertion hole ih2 second insertion hole ss1 first side surface ss2 second side surface ss3 third side surface ss4 fourth side surface us upper bottom surface

Claims (6)

a rectangular parallelepiped housing having a pair of opposing bottom surfaces and a plurality of side surfaces connecting the pair of bottom surfaces;
a power generation unit housed in the housing;
a first drawer member connected to the power generation unit and drawn out from a first side surface of the plurality of side surfaces;
a second pull-out member connected to the power generation unit and pulled out from a second side surface adjacent to the first side surface among the plurality of side surfaces,
the housing has a main body that is open on the first side surface side and a cover member that includes the first side surface,
The area of the first side surface is larger than the area of the second side surface.
Fuel cell module. 2. The fuel cell module according to claim 1,
a fuel cell module in which the first drawer member and the second drawer member are drawn out from the housing at different positions in a normal direction of the bottom surface; 3. The fuel cell module according to claim 1 ,
a protrusion amount of the second drawer member from the housing is greater than a protrusion amount of the first drawer member from the housing. 4. The fuel cell module according to claim 1,
The first draw-out member is a bus bar connected to the power generation unit. a rectangular parallelepiped housing having a pair of opposing bottom surfaces and a plurality of side surfaces connecting the pair of bottom surfaces;
a power generation unit housed in the housing;
a first drawer member connected to the power generation unit and drawn out from a first side surface of the plurality of side surfaces;
a second pull-out member connected to the power generation unit and pulled out from a second side surface adjacent to the first side surface among the plurality of side surfaces,
the housing has a main body that is open on the first side surface side and a cover member that includes the first side surface,
The first draw-out member is a bus bar connected to the power generation unit of the fuel cell module. A fuel cell device comprising the fuel cell module according to any one of claims 1 to 5.