Anomaly detection device

Abstract

To provide an abnormality diagnostic device that can appropriately diagnose the nature of abnormalities occurring in fuel cell systems. [Solution] The abnormality diagnosis device determines that there is a problem with the mounting position of the current meter or that there is an abnormality in the current meter if the first determination condition is met, which is derived based on the primary current corresponding to the secondary current output by the current meter when the power conversion circuit unit is stopped and not outputting the generated power of the cell stack to the power line, and the magnitude of the primary current is equal to or greater than the set current value, and the second determination condition is met, and the power received when stopped is 0W.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an abnormality diagnosis device that diagnoses the content of an abnormality occurring in a fuel cell device based on information received via an information communication line from the fuel cell device installed in a facility.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-184319) describes a system that can diagnose and identify a failure location in a power generation system and suppress misdiagnosis during a failure. Specifically, in the system described in Patent Document 1, when the power generation system fails, failure data including the detection signal history at each part of the power generation device is generated by each of a plurality of detection means provided at each part of the power generation device. Then, correlation failure data having a strong correlation with the failure data at the time of the current failure is selected from the past failure data recorded in the database. Further, the failure diagnosis result and the failure countermeasure record associated with the selected correlation failure data are output. Thus, in the system described in Patent Document 1, the past failure data having a strong correlation with the failure data including the detection signal history detected when the current failure occurs is specified, and it is considered that the current failure is also caused by the same failure cause as the past failure data having a strong correlation.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] There is also a need for a method of diagnosing the operating state of a fuel cell device without relying on a statistical method such as the strength of a correlation.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide an abnormality diagnosis device that can appropriately diagnose the nature of abnormalities occurring in a fuel cell device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A characteristic configuration of the abnormality diagnosis device according to the present invention for achieving the above objective is an abnormality diagnosis device that diagnoses the nature of an abnormality occurring in a fuel cell device based on information received from the fuel cell device installed in a facility via an information communication line, The fuel cell device comprises a cell stack having a plurality of fuel cell cells that generate electricity using fuel gas, a power conversion circuit that converts the power generated by the cell stack into desired AC power and outputs the AC power to a single-phase three-wire power line connected to the power grid, and an operation control unit that controls the operation. The facility is equipped with a current measuring instrument that is mounted so as to surround the voltage lines constituting the power lines connected to the power system, and which outputs a secondary current corresponding to the primary current flowing through the voltage lines. The point is that when the power conversion circuit is stopped and not outputting the generated power of the cell stack to the power line, and the power received by the voltage line from the power system at the time of stop, which is derived based on the primary current corresponding to the secondary current output by the current measuring instrument, is 0W or less, and the magnitude of the primary current is greater than or equal to the set current value, and the second determination condition that the power received at the time of stop is 0W is also met, then it is determined that there is a problem with the mounting position of the current measuring instrument or that there is a malfunction in the current measuring instrument.

[0007] According to the above characteristic configuration, the abnormality diagnosis device determines that there is a problem with the mounting position of the current meter or that there is an abnormality in the current meter if the first determination condition is met, which is derived based on the primary current corresponding to the secondary current output by the current meter when the power conversion circuit section is stopped and not outputting the generated power of the cell stack to the power line, and the magnitude of the primary current is equal to or greater than the set current value, and the second determination condition is met, which is that the power received when stopped is 0W. In other words, the abnormality diagnosis device can automatically determine the diagnosis result for abnormalities that appear in the measurement results of the current meter.

[0008] For example, if maintenance personnel are dispatched based solely on the fact that an abnormality has occurred in the operation or measurement results of the equipment in a fuel cell system, the maintenance personnel would need to make a diagnosis of the abnormality on the spot. However, with this feature configuration, the abnormality diagnosis device automatically identifies the diagnosis result for that abnormality, so maintenance personnel can prepare in advance according to the diagnosis result before being dispatched. Therefore, we can provide an abnormality diagnosis device that can appropriately diagnose the nature of abnormalities occurring in fuel cell devices.

[0009] Another characteristic configuration of the abnormality diagnosis device according to the present invention is that if the first determination condition is met, the second determination condition is not met, and the third determination condition is met, which includes positive and negative values ​​for the power received during the shutdown within a predetermined period in the past, then it is determined that a faulty installation of the current measuring instrument has occurred.

[0010] According to the above characteristic configuration, the abnormality diagnosis device can automatically diagnose that there is a faulty installation of the current meter if the first determination condition is met, the second determination condition is not met, and the third determination condition is met, which includes both positive and negative values ​​for the power received during shutdowns within a predetermined period in the past.

[0011] Another characteristic configuration of the abnormality diagnosis device according to the present invention is that if the first determination condition is met, the second determination condition is not met, the third determination condition is not met, and the fourth determination condition, which is that the power received at the time of shutdown is less than or equal to a predetermined value of 0W, is not met, then it is determined that the cause is due to reactive power.

[0012] According to the above characteristic configuration, the abnormality diagnosis device can automatically diagnose the effect of reactive power if the first determination condition is met, the second determination condition is not met, the third determination condition is not met, and the fourth determination condition, which is that the power received at shutdown is less than a predetermined value of less than 0W, is not met.

[0013] Another characteristic configuration of the abnormality diagnosis device according to the present invention is that if the first determination condition is met, the second determination condition is not met, the third determination condition is not met, the fourth determination condition is met, the power received at the time of shutdown is less than or equal to a predetermined value of 0W, and the fifth determination condition is met, the same amount of change in the power received at the time of shutdown occurs simultaneously in both of the two voltage lines constituting the power line, then it is determined that there is an error in the selection of the operating mode of the energy storage device connected to the two voltage lines constituting the power line.

[0014] According to the above characteristic configuration, the abnormality diagnosis device can automatically diagnose an error in the selection of the operating mode of the energy storage device connected to the two voltage lines constituting the power line if the first determination condition is met, the second determination condition is not met, the third determination condition is not met, the fourth determination condition is met (the power received at shutdown is less than a predetermined value of 0W), and the fifth determination condition is met (the same amount of change in power received at shutdown occurs simultaneously in both voltage lines constituting the power line).

[0015] Another characteristic configuration of the abnormality diagnosis device according to the present invention is that if the first determination condition is met, the second determination condition is not met, the third determination condition is not met, the fourth determination condition is met (that the power received at the time of shutdown is less than or equal to a predetermined value of 0W), and the fifth determination condition is not met (that the same amount of change in the power received at the time of shutdown occurs simultaneously in both of the two voltage lines constituting the power line), then it is determined that the current measuring device is improperly installed or that there is an influence from another power supply device installed at the facility.

[0016] According to the above characteristic configuration, the abnormality diagnosis device can automatically diagnose whether the current meter is improperly installed or whether it is due to the influence of other power supply equipment installed at the facility if the first determination condition is met, the second determination condition is not met, the third determination condition is not met, the fourth determination condition is met (the power received at shutdown is less than a predetermined value of 0W), and the fifth determination condition is not met (the same amount of change in power received at shutdown occurs simultaneously in both voltage lines constituting the power line). [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] This diagram shows the configuration of a diagnostic system equipped with an abnormality detection device. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the connection configuration of the fuel cell system and the power consumption device. [Figure 3] This is a flowchart illustrating an example of anomaly diagnosis processing. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0018] An abnormality diagnosis device 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a diagnostic system including an abnormality diagnostic device 4. As shown in the figure, a fuel cell device 10 is provided in a facility 1 such as a residential house or a business operator. In addition, the facility 1 is also provided with a power consumption device 5, a gas consumption device 6, and a HEMS (Home Energy Management System) 78. The HEMS 78 is a device that controls the operations of controlled devices such as the power consumption device 5, the fuel cell device 10, and the gas consumption device 6, and can perform information communication via a communication line with the controlled devices, receive information from each device, and transmit information to each device. Further, the HEMS 78 can also transmit the information received from each device to the abnormality diagnostic device 4 and the like via the information communication line 2. The operation of the fuel cell device 10 is controlled by an operation control unit 14 as described later.

[0019] The power consumption device 5 and the fuel cell device 10 are connected to a power line 8 connected to the power system 7 and can receive power supply from the power system 7. Also, the generated power of the fuel cell device 10 can be supplied to the power system 7 via the power line 8. The gas consumption device 6 and the fuel cell device 10 can receive the supply of gas such as city gas supplied from the gas supply pipe 9. Although two facilities 1 are depicted in FIG. 1, the number can be changed as appropriate. The gas containing hydrocarbons such as city gas supplied from the gas supply pipe 9 may be described as raw fuel in the following explanation.

[0020] The fuel cell device 10 can access the information communication line 2 via the HEMS 78 or without passing through the HEMS 78. Then, the fuel cell device 10 can perform information communication with an abnormality diagnostic device 4, an information providing server device 3, a maintenance person terminal device 60, a manufacturing related person terminal device 61, a manager terminal device 62, etc. connected to the information communication line 2.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the connection form of the fuel cell device 10 and the power consumption device 5. As shown in the figure, the fuel cell device 10 is connected to a single-phase three-wire power line 8 connected to the power system 7. The fuel cell device 10 includes a power conversion circuit unit 11, a cell stack 12, a fuel reforming unit 13, an operation control unit 14 that controls the operation of the fuel cell device 10, a storage unit 15 that stores information handled by the fuel cell device 10, and a communication unit 16.

[0022] The fuel reforming unit 13 reforms the raw fuel supplied from the gas supply pipe 9 to generate a fuel gas containing hydrogen. Then, the cell stack 12 generates power using the fuel gas generated by the fuel reforming unit 13. The power conversion circuit unit 11 converts the generated power of the cell stack 12 into a desired AC power and outputs the AC power to the single-phase three-wire power line 8 connected to the power system 7.

[0023] Measurement results of various measuring instruments included in the fuel cell device 10, the operating states of the devices, etc. are transmitted to the operation control unit 14 via a signal transmission line (not shown), etc., and the measurement results are stored in the storage unit 15. Then, the operation control unit 14 transmits those measurement results and operating states to the abnormality diagnosis device 4 from the communication unit 16 at a predetermined timing. Also, the operation control unit 14 transmits the abnormalities appearing in those measurement results and operating states to the abnormality diagnosis device 4 from the communication unit 16 as part of the measurement results and operating states.

[0024] The single-phase three-wire power line 8 is composed of two voltage lines 8a, 8b and a neutral line 8c. The power consumption device 5 as a 100V load includes a power consumption device 5a connected to the voltage line 8a and the neutral line 8c, and a power consumption device 5b connected to the voltage line 8b and the neutral line 8c.

[0025] The power storage device 21 is an AC 200V power source and can perform a discharging operation of supplying power to the voltage lines 8a, 8b and a charging operation of taking in power from the voltage lines 8a, 8b. This power storage device 21 is configured to perform the discharging operation and the charging operation in a preset operation mode. The power storage device 21 is, for example, a smart energy house (SEH) power storage device.

[0026] For example, when the energy storage device 21 discharges, it simultaneously supplies the same amount of power to both voltage lines 8a and 8b. However, in this case, the energy storage device 21 has two operating modes: one in which it discharges power in accordance with the smaller of the power consumption of power consumption device 5a and power consumption device 5b (for example, an operating mode in which it simultaneously discharges the same amount of power as the smaller power consumption or power that is a predetermined value smaller to both voltage lines 8a and 8b); and another in which it simultaneously supplies half the sum of the power consumption of power consumption device 5a and power consumption device 5b to both voltage lines 8a and 8b. The latter operating mode is, for example, if the power consumption of power consumption device 5a is 500W and the power consumption of power consumption device 5b is 100W, then it simultaneously supplies 300W of power (or power that is a predetermined value smaller) to each of the voltage lines 8a and 8b, which is half of the total of 600W. In other words, in this case, the voltage line 8b may be supplied with more power (300W) from the energy storage device 21 than the power consumption (100W) of the power consumption device 5b.

[0027] Therefore, if the energy storage device 21 is set to discharge in accordance with the smaller power consumption, the power that the energy storage device 21 simultaneously supplies to each of the voltage lines 8a and 8b will never exceed the power consumption of the power consumption device 5a and the power consumption device 5b. In other words, if the energy storage device 21 is set to discharge in accordance with the smaller power consumption, and no power is output from the fuel cell device 10 to the voltage lines 8a and 8b, the power received by the voltage lines 8a and 8b from the power system 7 will never be negative (i.e., reverse power flow will not occur).

[0028] In contrast, if an operating mode is selected in which half the sum of the power consumption of power consumption device 5a and power consumption device 5b is supplied simultaneously to both voltage lines 8a and 8b, then, as described above, the power supplied simultaneously by the energy storage device 21 to each of the voltage lines 8a and 8b may be greater than either the power consumption of power consumption device 5a or the individual power consumption of power consumption device 5b. In other words, if an operating mode is selected in which half the sum of the power consumption of power consumption device 5a and power consumption device 5b is supplied simultaneously to both voltage lines 8a and 8b, then even if no power is output from the fuel cell device 10 to voltage lines 8a and 8b, there is a possibility that the power received by voltage lines 8a and 8b from the power system 7 may be a negative value less than 0W (i.e., reverse power flow occurs).

[0029] Facility 1 is equipped with current measuring devices 20 that are mounted around the voltage lines 8a and 8b, which constitute the power lines 8 connected to the power system 7, and output a secondary current corresponding to the primary current flowing through the voltage lines 8a and 8b. The measurement results (secondary current) from the current measuring devices 20 at each voltage line 8a and 8b are transmitted to the operation control unit 14, where the operation control unit 14 derives the primary current corresponding to that secondary current. In addition, the operation control unit 14 derives the power received by the voltage lines 8a and 8b from the power system 7 based on that primary current.

[0030] The current measuring device 20, also known as a current transformer, has a specified mounting method for voltage lines 8a and 8b. For example, there is a specified mounting direction for the power supply side (power system 7 side) and the load side (power consumption device 5 side), and if the mounting direction is reversed, the current flowing through each voltage line 8a and 8b will be calculated as a current in the opposite direction to the actual current. Alternatively, if the current measuring device 20 is not properly mounted, the current flowing through each voltage line 8a and 8b may be calculated as zero, or the current flowing through each voltage line 8a and 8b may fluctuate between positive and negative values. Furthermore, if there is a malfunction in the current measuring device 20 itself (e.g., a broken wire), the current flowing through each voltage line 8a and 8b may also be zero.

[0031] Next, a method will be described in which the abnormality diagnosis device 4 diagnoses the nature of an abnormality occurring in the fuel cell device 10 based on information received from the fuel cell device 10 installed in facility 1 via the information communication line 2. The abnormality diagnosis device 4 comprises a storage unit 4a and a diagnosis processing unit 4b.

[0032] The memory unit 4a of the abnormality diagnosis device 4 stores, for each of several abnormalities, an abnormality that appears in the measurement result of at least one of the multiple measuring instruments of the fuel cell device 10 and the operating state of the fuel cell device 10, and an abnormality diagnosis process for identifying one of several possible diagnosis results for that abnormality, which includes at least one cause of the abnormality and a method of dealing with the abnormality. Specifically, the abnormality diagnosis process is composed of a combination of multiple determination processes that determine whether at least one of the measurement results of the measuring instruments of the fuel cell device 10, the operating state of the equipment, and the operating environment of the fuel cell device 10 satisfies predetermined determination conditions. The determination result of the determination process, which is determined depending on whether the determination conditions are met, includes at least one of the following: a case instructing a transition to another determination process, and a case leading to the identification of a diagnosis result of the abnormality diagnosis process.

[0033] The measurement results of the measuring instruments in the fuel cell device 10 described above include, for example, the measurement results of the current measuring instrument 20, and values ​​that can be derived from those measurement results (e.g., power).

[0034] The operating status of the equipment described above includes, for example, which process the fuel cell device 10 is currently performing, such as the startup process, power generation process, or shutdown process. In the fuel cell device 10, whether or not the power conversion circuit unit 11 is in a stopped state and not outputting the power generated by the cell stack 12 to the power line 8 is also included in the operating status of the equipment.

[0035] Then, the diagnostic processing unit 4b of the abnormality diagnosis device 4, when an abnormality appears in the measurement results and operating state received from the fuel cell device 10 via the information communication line 2, identifies a diagnosis result for the abnormality based on the contents of the abnormality diagnosis process corresponding to the abnormality stored in the storage unit 4a, and at least one of the measurement results of the measuring instruments of the fuel cell device 10 and the operating state of the equipment. Here, whether or not the above abnormality appears may be determined by the fuel cell device 10 or by the abnormality diagnosis device 4.

[0036] [Anomaly Diagnosis Processing] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the abnormality diagnosis process performed by the diagnostic processing unit 4b when an abnormality such as an abnormality in the current meter output occurs. The operation control unit 14 of the fuel cell device 10 monitors the primary current flowing through either one or both of the voltage lines 8a and 8b, which can be derived according to the secondary current measured by the current meter 20. For example, if the power conversion circuit unit 11 is in a stopped state and is not outputting the power generated by the cell stack 12 to the power line 8, then if no discharge is occurring from the energy storage device 21, then no reverse power flow of power from the power line 8 of the facility 1 to the power system 7 should occur. Therefore, if the power conversion circuit unit 11 is in a stopped state and is not outputting the power generated by the cell stack 12 to the power line 8, then the power received by the voltage lines 8a and 8b from the power system 7 during the stop state, which is derived based on the primary current corresponding to the secondary current output by the current meter 20, will be greater than 0W. In other words, it can be assumed that there is no situation in facility 1 where power consumption devices 5a and 5b are not consuming power. Therefore, under normal circumstances, the power received by voltage lines 8a and 8b from power system 7 during shutdown will be greater than 0W. However, if some abnormality occurs, the first judgment condition may be met, which is derived based on the primary current corresponding to the secondary current output by the current measuring instrument 20 during shutdown when the power conversion circuit unit 11 is not outputting the power generated by the cell stack 12 to power line 8. This condition is 0W or less, and the magnitude of the primary current is greater than or equal to the set current value.

[0037] Then, the operation control unit 14 determines that an abnormality, namely an abnormality in the output of the current meter, has occurred if the first determination condition is met, which is derived based on the primary current corresponding to the secondary current output by the current meter 20 when the power conversion circuit unit 11 is stopped and not outputting the generated power of the cell stack 12 to the power line 8, and the power received by the voltage lines 8a and 8b from the power system 7 is 0W or less, and the magnitude of the primary current is equal to or greater than the set current value (for example, 0.3A or more).

[0038] In this embodiment, it is also possible to determine whether the first determination condition is met on either voltage line 8a or 8b, which is that the power received when stopped is 0W or less and the magnitude of the primary current is greater than or equal to the set current value (for example, 0.3A or more), or to perform the determination on both voltage lines 8a and 8b. If the first determination condition is met, then the following determination can be made on whichever of the voltage lines 8a or 8b was determined to have met the first determination condition.

[0039] The operation control unit 14 then transmits the measurement result, indicating that an abnormality, namely an abnormality in the current meter output, has occurred, to the abnormality diagnosis device 4 via the communication unit 16. Alternatively, the diagnosis processing unit 4b of the abnormality diagnosis device 4 may refer to the information received from the fuel cell device 10 via the information communication line 2 to determine whether or not an abnormality, namely an abnormality in the current meter output, has occurred (i.e., whether or not the first determination condition is met).

[0040] When the abnormality diagnosis device 4 receives notification of a measurement result indicating an abnormality such as an abnormal current meter output, or when the diagnostic processing unit 4b determines that an abnormality such as an abnormal current meter output has occurred, it refers to the information stored in the memory unit 4a and reads the corresponding abnormality diagnosis process. The diagnostic processing unit 4b then executes that abnormality diagnosis process. The abnormality diagnosis process in this embodiment is composed of a combination of the determination processes shown in steps #10 to #13 in Figure 3.

[0041] In step #10, the diagnostic processing unit 4b determines whether the second determination condition is met, which is the power received by voltage lines 8a and 8b from the power system 7 when the power conversion circuit unit 11 is stopped and not outputting the power generated by the cell stack 12 to the power line 8, and that the power received during shutdown is 0W. In facility 1, it can be assumed that there is no situation in which the power consumption devices 5a and 5b are not consuming power, so under normal circumstances, the second determination condition that the power received during shutdown is 0W should not be met.

[0042] Then, if the second determination condition that the power received when stopped is 0W is met, the diagnostic processing unit 4b arrives at diagnosis result A1, which indicates that there is a problem with the mounting position of the current measuring instrument 20 or that there is a malfunction in the current measuring instrument 20. In other words, if the first determination condition that the power received when stopped, which is derived based on the primary current corresponding to the secondary current output by the current measuring instrument 20 in a stopped state when the power conversion circuit unit 11 is not outputting the power generated by the cell stack 12 to the power line 8, is 0W or less, and the magnitude of the primary current is greater than or equal to the set current value is met, and the second determination condition that the power received when stopped is 0W is met, then the diagnostic processing unit 4b determines that there is a problem with the mounting position of the current measuring instrument 20 or that there is a malfunction in the current measuring instrument 20. In other words, the diagnostic result indicates that the above-mentioned abnormality of current measuring instrument output is occurring due to a problem with the mounting position of the current measuring instrument 20 or that there is a malfunction in the current measuring instrument 20. Thus, the judgment result of the judgment process in step #10 includes cases where it leads to the identification of the diagnosis result of the anomaly diagnosis process.

[0043] The content of diagnostic result A1 is not limited to what is described above. For example, it may include diagnostic results such as "change the mounting position of the current measuring device 20 or replace the current measuring device 20," "disconnection of the wiring connected to the current measuring device 20," or "repair of the current measuring device 20 or the wiring." In addition, although several examples of diagnostic result A1 are listed, they may be used alone or in combination with any of the others.

[0044] If the diagnostic processing unit 4b determines that the second determination condition is not met in process #10, it proceeds to process #11. Thus, the determination result of the determination process in process #10 includes cases where a transition to another determination process is instructed.

[0045] In step #11, the diagnostic processing unit 4b determines whether the third determination condition is met, which is that the power received during shutdowns within a predetermined period in the past includes both positive and negative values. If normal, the power received during shutdowns within a predetermined period in the past should not include both positive and negative values; that is, the current flowing through each voltage line 8a and 8b should not fluctuate between positive and negative values.

[0046] Then, the diagnostic processing unit 4b arrives at diagnostic result A2, which indicates that a faulty installation of the current measuring instrument 20 has occurred, if the third determination condition is met, which is that the power received during shutdowns within a predetermined period in the past includes both positive and negative values. In other words, the diagnostic processing unit 4b determines that a faulty installation of the current measuring instrument 20 has occurred if the first determination condition is met, the second determination condition is not met, and the third determination condition is met, which is that the power received during shutdowns within a predetermined period in the past includes both positive and negative values. In other words, the diagnostic result is determined that the faulty installation of the current measuring instrument 20 has caused the aforementioned abnormality of the current measuring instrument output. Thus, the determination result of the determination process in step #11 includes cases where the diagnosis result of the abnormality diagnosis process is identified.

[0047] The content of diagnostic result A2 is not limited to what is described above; for example, it may be a diagnostic result such as "reinstallation of the current measuring device 20."

[0048] If the diagnostic processing unit 4b determines that the third determination condition is not met in process #11, it proceeds to process #12. Thus, the determination result of the determination process in process #11 includes cases where a transition to another determination process is instructed.

[0049] In step #12, the diagnostic processing unit 4b determines whether the fourth determination condition is met, which is that the power received at shutdown is less than or equal to a predetermined value (e.g., -10W). If the fourth determination condition is met, the diagnostic processing unit 4b arrives at diagnosis result A3, which indicates the influence of reactive power. In other words, if the first determination condition is met, the second determination condition is not met, the third determination condition is not met, and the fourth determination condition (that the power received at shutdown is less than or equal to a predetermined value) is not met, then the diagnostic processing unit 4b determines that the problem is due to the influence of reactive power in the power line 8. In other words, the diagnosis result is that the abnormality described above, the abnormality of the current measuring instrument output, is due to the influence of reactive power. Thus, the determination result of the determination process in step #12 includes cases where the diagnosis result of the abnormality diagnosis process is identified.

[0050] If the diagnostic processing unit 4b determines that the fourth determination condition is met in process #12, it proceeds to process #13. Thus, the determination result of the determination process in process #12 includes cases where a transition to another determination process is instructed.

[0051] In step #13, the diagnostic processing unit 4b determines whether the fifth determination condition is met, which is that the same amount of change in power received at shutdown occurs simultaneously in both voltage lines 8a and 8b that constitute the power line 8. For example, normally, the operating mode of the energy storage device 21 is selected to discharge in accordance with the smaller of the power consumption However, if an error occurs in the selection of the operating mode of the energy storage device 21, that is, if the operating mode selected for the energy storage device 21 is one in which half the sum of the power consumption device 5b is simultaneously supplied to both voltage lines 8a and 8b, then the first determination condition described above will be met, and the discharge from the energy storage device 21 may cause the same amount of change in the power received at rest to occur simultaneously on both voltage lines 8a and 8b.

[0052] Then, if the fifth determination condition is met, the diagnostic processing unit 4b arrives at diagnosis result A4, which indicates an error in the selection of the operating mode of the energy storage device 21 connected to the two voltage lines 8a and 8b that constitute the power line 8. In other words, if the first determination condition is met, the second determination condition is not met, the third determination condition is not met, the fourth determination condition is met (the power received at shutdown is less than or equal to a predetermined value of 0W), and the fifth determination condition is met (the same amount of change in power received at shutdown occurs simultaneously in both the two voltage lines 8a and 8b that constitute the power line 8), the diagnostic processing unit 4b determines that there is an error in the selection of the operating mode of the energy storage device 21 connected to the two voltage lines 8a and 8b that constitute the power line 8. In other words, the diagnosis result indicates that the above-mentioned abnormality in the current meter output is occurring due to an error in the selection of the operating mode of the energy storage device 21 as an SEH energy storage device connected to the two voltage lines 8a and 8b that constitute the power line 8. Thus, the judgment result of the judgment process in step #13 includes cases where it leads to the identification of the diagnosis result of the anomaly diagnosis process.

[0053] The contents of diagnostic result A4 are not limited to those described above; for example, the diagnostic result may be "Optimization of the selection of the operating mode of the energy storage device 21."

[0054] In response, if the fifth determination condition is not met, the diagnostic processing unit 4b arrives at diagnosis result A5, which indicates a faulty installation of the current measuring instrument 20 or the influence of other power supply devices attached to facility 1. For example, if a power supply device such as a solar panel is connected to the power line 8 of facility 1, the first determination condition may be met by the power supplied to the power line 8 from such a power supply device. In other words, if the first determination condition is met, and the second determination condition is not met, and the third determination condition is not met, and the fourth determination condition, which states that the power received at shutdown is less than or equal to a predetermined value of 0W, is met, and the fifth determination condition, which states that the same amount of change in power received at shutdown occurs simultaneously in both the two voltage lines 8a and 8b that constitute the power line 8, is not met, then it is determined that the current measuring instrument 20 is faulty or the influence of other power supply devices attached to facility 1. In other words, the diagnosis result is that the above-mentioned abnormality of current measuring instrument output is occurring due to a faulty installation of the current measuring instrument 20 or the influence of other power supply devices attached to facility 1. Thus, the judgment result of the judgment process in step #12 includes cases where it leads to the identification of the diagnosis result of the anomaly diagnosis process.

[0055] The contents of diagnostic result A5 are not limited to those described above; for example, the diagnostic result may be "reinstallation of the current measuring device 20" or "improper connection of other power supply equipment."

[0056] As described above, the abnormality diagnosis device 4 can automatically perform the process from the occurrence of an abnormality to the identification of a diagnosis result for that abnormality according to a pre-created abnormality diagnosis process procedure. The identified diagnosis result is then stored in the memory unit 4a of the abnormality diagnosis device 4. The memory unit 4a of the abnormality diagnosis device 4 also stores at least one of the contact details of the administrator, such as the owner who manages the fuel cell device 10, the maintenance personnel for the fuel cell device 10, and the manufacturing personnel, such as the assemblers and parts manufacturers of the fuel cell device 10. The diagnosis processing unit 4b outputs the identified diagnosis result to at least one of the administrator's contact details, the maintenance personnel's contact details, and the manufacturing personnel's contact details. For example, the diagnosis processing unit 4b sends the diagnosis result to the email address of the administrator of the fuel cell device 10, the email address of the maintenance personnel for the fuel cell device 10, and the email address of the manufacturing personnel for the fuel cell device 10. As a result, the administrator of the fuel cell device 10 can check the diagnosis result on their administrator terminal device 62, the maintenance personnel for the fuel cell device 10 can check the diagnosis result on their maintenance personnel terminal device 60, and the manufacturing personnel for the fuel cell device 10 can check the diagnosis result on their manufacturing personnel terminal device 61. In this way, the abnormality diagnosis device 4 automatically identifies the diagnosis result for the abnormality, allowing maintenance personnel to prepare in advance according to the diagnosis result before being dispatched.

[0057] For example, before arriving at a site for repairs to the fuel cell unit 10, the maintenance personnel for the fuel cell unit 10 can prepare for repairs based on the diagnostic results, and the manufacturers of the fuel cell unit 10 can prepare the necessary parts for repairs based on the diagnostic results. As a result, problems such as the lack of personnel with the necessary skills to perform the repairs or the failure to bring the necessary parts to the site can be avoided. Furthermore, the diagnostic results are not limited to the examples described above and can be modified as appropriate. To give a specific example, the diagnostic result may include instructions for replacing or repairing components of the fuel cell device 10 related to the diagnostic result, as a way to address the abnormality.

[0058] If the response to an abnormality includes instructions for replacing or repairing the components of the fuel cell device 10 as described above, it is possible to prepare the replacement components in advance and to determine the personnel required for the replacement or repair work in advance.

[0059] Furthermore, when issuing instructions to replace or repair a specific component of the fuel cell device 10, it is preferable to know the difficulty level of the work. For this reason, the memory unit 4a stores information indicating the difficulty level of the repair or replacement work for each component of the fuel cell device 10, and the diagnostic result may include information indicating the difficulty level as a way to deal with the abnormality. If information indicating the difficulty level of the repair or replacement work for a component is included as a way to deal with the abnormality, preparations can be made in advance to dispatch personnel with the appropriate skills for that difficulty level.

[0060] In addition, when issuing instructions to replace or repair a specific component of the fuel cell device 10, it is preferable for the maintenance personnel who actually perform the replacement or repair to be able to view video data explaining the repair or replacement work in advance or on-site. For this reason, the storage unit 4a stores video data explaining the repair or replacement work for each component of the fuel cell device 10, and the diagnostic results may include video data as a way to deal with the abnormality. If video data explaining the repair or replacement work for the components of the fuel cell device 10 is included as a way to deal with the abnormality, the person in charge of repairing or replacing the component can check the video data and reliably perform the repair or replacement work.

[0061] <Another Embodiment> In the above embodiment, the configuration of the fuel cell device 10 was specifically described, but its configuration can be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, the content of the diagnostic results can be changed as needed.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the abnormality diagnosis device 4 of the present invention was described with numerical examples, but these numerical values ​​are provided for illustrative purposes only and can be changed as appropriate.

[0063] The configurations disclosed in the above embodiments (including other embodiments, the same applies hereinafter) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, as long as no inconsistencies arise. Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the purpose of the present invention. [Industrial applicability]

[0064] This invention can be used in an abnormality diagnosis device that can appropriately diagnose the nature of abnormalities occurring in a fuel cell device. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0065] 1: Facility 2: Information and communication lines 4: Anomaly detection device 7: Power system 8: Power lines 8a: Voltage line 8b: Voltage line 10:Fuel cell device 11: Power Conversion Circuit Section 12: Cell stack 14: Operation Control Unit 20: Current measuring device 21: Energy storage device

Claims

1. An abnormality diagnosis device that diagnoses the nature of an abnormality occurring in a fuel cell device based on information received from the fuel cell device installed in the facility via an information and communication line, The fuel cell device comprises a cell stack having a plurality of fuel cell cells that generate electricity using fuel gas, a power conversion circuit that converts the power generated by the cell stack into desired AC power and outputs the AC power to a single-phase three-wire power line connected to the power grid, and an operation control unit that controls the operation. The facility is equipped with a current measuring instrument that is mounted so as to surround the voltage lines constituting the power lines connected to the power system, and which outputs a secondary current corresponding to the primary current flowing through the voltage lines. An abnormality diagnostic device that determines that there is a problem with the mounting position of the current meter or an abnormality in the current meter when the power conversion circuit unit is stopped and not outputting the generated power of the cell stack to the power line, and the first determination condition that the power received by the voltage line from the power system when stopped is 0W or less, and the magnitude of the primary current is greater than or equal to a set current value is met, and the second determination condition that the power received when stopped is 0W is also met.

2. An abnormality diagnosis device according to claim 1, which determines that a faulty installation of the current measuring instrument has occurred if the first determination condition is met, the second determination condition is not met, and the third determination condition is met, which is that the power received at the time of shutdown within a predetermined period in the past includes both positive and negative values.

3. An abnormality diagnosis device according to claim 2, which determines that the effect is due to reactive power if the first determination condition is met, the second determination condition is not met, the third determination condition is not met, and the fourth determination condition, which is that the power received at the time of stopping is less than or equal to a predetermined value of 0W, is not met.

4. An abnormality diagnosis device according to claim 2 or 3, which determines that there is an error in the selection of the operating mode of the energy storage device connected to the two voltage lines constituting the power line when the first determination condition is met, the second determination condition is not met, the third determination condition is not met, the fourth determination condition is met such that the power received at the time of shutdown is less than or equal to a predetermined value of 0W, and the fifth determination condition is met such that the same amount of change in the power received at the time of shutdown occurs simultaneously in both of the two voltage lines constituting the power line.

5. An abnormality diagnosis device according to claim 2 or 3, which determines that the current measuring device is improperly installed or that there is an influence from another power supply device installed at the facility if the first determination condition is met, the second determination condition is not met, the third determination condition is not met, the fourth determination condition is met, the power received at the time of shutdown is less than or equal to a predetermined value of 0W, and the fifth determination condition is not met, the same amount of change in power received at the time of shutdown occurs simultaneously in both of the two voltage lines constituting the power line.

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