Moving body

Abstract

In a fuel cell system 20 mounted on a fuel cell vehicle of the invention, water separated by a gas-liquid separator 38 included in a hydrogen supply system and by a gas-liquid separator 48 included in an air supply discharge system 40 is temporarily accumulated in buffer tanks 62a through 62c, which are set inside a front fender or inside a front bumper of the vehicle. The accumulated water is released from water outlets 64b and 64c located forward and backward a front wheel of the vehicle having relatively little potential effects of vehicle wind or air flow caused by motion of the vehicle. For the purpose of reducing the potential effects of the vehicle wind on the released water, the fuel cell vehicle may have an air flow path that makes the released water flown obliquely backward the vehicle by the air flow or form an air curtain of exhaust gas or the air ahead of the released water. This arrangement effectively restricts the released water from being scattered by and swirled on the vehicle wind and thereby prevents potential troubles such that the released water is scattered on other vehicles running on the side and behind.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a moving body. Specifically, the invention relates to a moving body with fuel cells that are mounted thereon as a power source and generate electric power with production of water as a by-product BACKGROUND ART [0002] One example of proposed moving bodies is a motorcycle that releases water produced by fuel sells on the side of the vehicle (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Gazette No. 2001-313056). Release of the water produced by the fuel cells on the side of the vehicle prevents potential troubles caused by splash of the water on wheels, for example, a skid of the wheels. [0003] A proposed technique to reduce the concentration of remaining hydrogen contained in exhaust gas from the fuel cells provides a baffle plate in the vicinity of an outlet of an exhaust pipe to accelerate diffusion of the exhaust gas (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Gazette No. 2002-289237). Various techniques may be applied to rel...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0065] The tenth moving body of the invention has the water tank located in the exhaust system and the drain formed in the front portion of the moving body to discharge the water from the water tank. The tenth moving body of the invention may have insufficient effects of restraining the water discharge under the condition of the high-speed motion of the moving body. As mentioned above, the presence of the front-facing opening restricts water discharge under acceleration of the moving body, while facilitating water discharge under deceleration of the moving body. During a general run, the moving body often repeats acceleration and deceleration and does not continue running at a fixed cruising speed. The arrangement of facilitating the water discharge under deceleration and restraining the water discharge under acceleration thus reduces scatter of the discharged water during a run of the moving body to the level that does not interfere with smooth driving of subsequent and nearby moving bodies. Here a typical example of the moving body is a vehicle.

[0066] In the tenth moving body of the invention, the water tank and the drain may be located inside the moving body to discharge water out of the moving body through an exhaust pipe. In one preferable embodiment of the tenth moving body of the invention, the drain has an opening at a position and orientation to make a ram pressure produced by motion of the moving body act in a direction of restricting discharge of the water. In one preferable structure of this embodiment, the water tank is attached to the outside of the moving body. This structure ensures application of the ram pressure onto the drain. In another preferable structure of this embodiment, the water tank is located inside the moving body, whereas the drain is formed outside the moving body. Application of the ram pressure onto the drain restricts the water discharge under the condition of the high-speed motion of the moving body and thereby effectively restrains splash of the discharged water.

Problems solved by technology

Even when the water is released in such a manner that does not wet wheels to avoid a potential skid, the released water may cause some troubles on subsequent and nearby vehicles.

The release of the water in a lateral direction, however, may cause the released water to swash on a pedestrian on the road shoulder or a nearby building.

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