JP3127342U - Fuel cell device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently remove liquid water generated in association with a cell reaction in a fuel cell device.
A fuel cell main body, a peripheral facility, and a water collecting tank are formed. The peripheral equipment includes a pump, a condenser, a mixing tank, a fan, and the like, and is connected to the fuel cell main body to supply fuel alcohol, exhaust gas, and transfer generated power.
The water collection tank is installed below the fuel cell main body and the peripheral equipment, and includes an inclined flow path 140, receives liquid water generated by a cell reaction in the fuel cell main body, and passes through the inclined flow path to a drain outlet. 142 is discharged.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell device. In particular, the present invention relates to a fuel cell device capable of handling a flooding phenomenon that occurs in a kind of fuel cell.

A fuel cell is a power generator that converts chemical energy stored in fuel and oxidant into electrical energy through an electrode reaction. The existing fuel cells are classified by the nature of the electrolyte into five types: alkaline fuel cells, phosphoric acid fuel cells, proton exchange membrane fuel cells, molten carbonate fuel cells, and solid oxide fuel cells. In recent years, fuel cell technology has progressed, but there are still problems in terms of commercialization, such as low power density, difficulty in managing water and heat, miniaturization, and high cost.
Most fuel cells produce water after the electrochemical reaction, but there are issues such as how to remove this water from the reaction system or how to reuse it. It was extremely important in the construction of battery systems.
In particular, the flooding phenomenon of water is a problem that must be dealt with in the course of the electrochemical reaction of the fuel cell. The flooding phenomenon is related to the surrounding environmental conditions (temperature, ventilation conditions, etc.) at that time, and is considered to be directly caused by liquid water generated by the electrochemical reaction of the fuel cell. It is done.
However, since the known technology does not take measures to improve this phenomenon, the overflowing liquid water is stored in the passage of air, which hinders the supply of oxygen to the fuel cell. This affects the power generation efficiency of the fuel cell, and if the control is not sufficient in the known fuel cell system, the overflowing liquid water leaks into the electronic product circuit, and the electronic product fails or Causes a short.
JP 2005-302709 A

The known structure has the following drawbacks.
That is, most of the fuel cells generate water by an electrochemical reaction. However, the countermeasures against this water are insufficient, which causes the overflow phenomenon of the water, and the overflowing liquid water is stored in the air flow passage and stored in the fuel flow path. The supply of oxygen to the battery has been hindered. As a result, the power generation efficiency of the fuel cell is affected, and if the overflowing liquid water leaks into the circuit of the electronic product, the electronic product may be broken or short-circuited.
The present invention provides a fuel cell device that solves the problems of the above structure.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following fuel cell device.
That is, in the fuel cell device, in order to deal with various problems caused by the overflow phenomenon of water, a fuel cell main body is connected to peripheral equipment (Balance of Plant, BOP), and the water collecting tank is connected to the fuel cell. The fuel cell device is installed below the main body and the peripheral equipment and collects liquid water when an overflow phenomenon occurs in the fuel cell main body and the peripheral equipment.

  As described above, in the known technique, liquid water is not usually treated, but in the present invention, liquid water can be collected, and can also be collected and reused through a drain outlet. Furthermore, the fuel cell device of the present invention is suitable for use in the weather or the surrounding environment where the condenser effect is optimal, and collects liquid water that overflows because the fuel cell main body or surrounding equipment cannot be immediately processed and cannot be quickly condensed. Thus, it is possible to prevent damage from the entire fuel cell system to the electronic product main body, thereby performing the relevant operation of the fuel cell by making good use of these liquid waters and reducing the water supplied from the outside. You can also

As shown in the three-dimensional exploded view of the fuel cell device of the present invention in FIG. 1, the fuel cell device 1 of the present invention comprises a fuel cell main body 10, peripheral equipment 12, and a water collection tank 14.
The fuel cell main body 10 generates electric power in a fuel cell stack such as a direct methanol fuel cell stack in a liquid fuel cell.
The peripheral equipment 12 is connected to the fuel cell main body 10. Usually, the peripheral equipment of the fuel cell includes many parts, and the peripheral equipment 12 in FIG. 1 is composed of at least a pump, a condenser, a mixing tank, a fan, and the like.
The water collection tank 14 is installed below the fuel cell main body 10 and the peripheral equipment 12 and collects liquid water formed when a water overflow phenomenon occurs in the fuel cell main body 10 and the peripheral equipment 12. In order to enhance the function of the water collecting tank 14, an inclined channel 140 is formed at the bottom end of the water collecting tank 14, as shown in FIG. The water collecting tank 14 includes at least one drainage port 142, and the drainage port 142 is located at the lower end of the inclined channel 140. By installing the inclined flow path 140 and the drainage port 142, liquid water overflowing the fuel cell main body 10 and the peripheral equipment 12 adheres to the inner wall surface of the water collection tank 14 by gravity, and the liquid water flows into the inclined flow. It flows down along the slope through the path 140 and finally flows out from the drainage port 142. The liquid water collected by the water collection tank 14 is recirculated to the peripheral equipment 12 for use.

  As shown in FIG. 2 which is a cross-sectional view of the fuel cell device shown in FIG. 1, when one fuel cell unit 2 in the fuel cell main body 10 causes an overflow phenomenon of water, the water collecting tank 14 The liquid water of the battery unit 2 is received. When oxygen contacts the cathode diffusion layer 22 from the cathode flow path (flow path) 20 and reaches the cathode catalyst layer 24 by diffusion, oxygen and electrons and hydrogen ions that have reached from the anode side cause an electrochemical reaction. Next, the cathode diffusion layer 22 discharges the liquid water generated by the reaction and prevents the flooding phenomenon. Liquid water appears in the cathode channel 20 in the form of water vapor or liquid water, and the water vapor is discharged by the cathode channel 20 and enters a condenser (not shown) in the peripheral equipment 12. Liquid water flows down toward the water collection tank 14 by the action of gravity.

It is a three-dimensional exploded view of the present fuel cell device. FIG. 2 is a side view of the fuel cell device shown in FIG. 1.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fuel cell apparatus 10 Fuel cell main body 12 Peripheral equipment 14 Catchment tank 140 Inclined flow path 142 Drain outlet 2 Fuel cell unit 20 Cathode flow path 22 Cathode diffusion layer 24 Cathode catalyst layer

Claims (6)

Consists of fuel cell main body, peripheral equipment, water collection tank,
The fuel cell main body is connected to the peripheral equipment for supplying fuel, oxygen, and taking out generated power,
The water collection tank is installed below the fuel cell main body and the peripheral equipment, and collects liquid water that is formed and dripped and flows down when water generated in the fuel cell main body and the peripheral equipment overflows. A fuel cell device.   2. The fuel cell device according to claim 1, wherein the bottom surface of the water collecting tank is an inclined channel.   The fuel cell apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the water collecting tank includes at least one drainage port, and the drainage port is located at a lower side end of the flow path.   2. The fuel cell device according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral equipment includes one or more pumps, a condenser, a mixing tank, and a fan.   The fuel cell apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fuel cell main body is a fuel cell stack.   The fuel cell apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fuel cell main body is a direct methanol fuel cell stack.

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