Fuel Cell Apparatus

Abstract

A fuel cell apparatus comprises a cell stack, a reforming portion (reforming catalyst), a vaporizing portion, a reforming target gas supply, an oxygen-containing gas supply, a water supply, and a controller. The cell stack comprises a plurality of fuel cells electrically connected in series in a housing case. The reforming portion is disposed over the cell stack and is to be exposed to a gas produced by burning a fuel gas from the fuel cells. The reforming catalyst can perform partial oxidation reforming, autothermal reforming and steam reforming as a reforming reaction. The vaporizing portion generates steam to be supplied to the reforming portion. The reforming target gas supply supplies a reforming target gas to the reforming portion. The oxygen gas supply supplies an oxygen gas to the reforming portion. The water supply supplies water to the vaporizing portion. The controller controls the reforming reaction in the reforming portion.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is the U.S. National Stage application of PCT application PCT / JP2008 / 065047 filed on Aug. 22, 2008, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-222980 filed on Aug. 29, 2007, and the contents of each of these applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to fuel cell apparatuses, particularly to a fuel cell apparatus that can be efficiently started.BACKGROUND[0003]Fuel cell apparatuses and their operation methods have recently been proposed for next-generation energy. Fuel cells can generate electric power, using a fuel gas (hydrogen-containing gas) and an oxygen-containing gas (normally air), and the fuel cell apparatus comprises the fuel cell and auxiliary devices operating the fuel cell within an enclosure. For example, a fuel cell apparatus has been proposed which comprises within a housing case a cel...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell apparatus in which the reforming reaction in the reforming portion can be controlled (changed) at the starting time of the apparatus according to the temperatures of the reforming portion and the vaporizing portion at the starting time of the apparatus so that the fuel cell apparatus can efficiently start while the reforming catalyst can be less likely to deteriorate.

Problems solved by technology

Unfortunately, if the temperature of the reforming portion of a fuel cell apparatus controlled to perform reforming reaction in the order of partial oxidation reforming, autothermal reforming and steam reforming is a predetermined value or more when the fuel cell restarts, the reforming target gas (raw fuel) supplied to the reforming portion may be rapidly increased.

Accordingly, carbon, a constituent of the reforming target gas, may be easily precipitated, and, consequently the fuel cells may deteriorate.

In addition, ignition for burning the fuel gas and unreacted gas (reforming target gas) in one end side of the fuel cells may become difficult.

Also, if partial oxidation reforming is performed in the reforming portion having a predetermined temperature or more at the starting time of the fuel cell apparatus, the reforming portion may easily come to high temperature.

Such a condition may easily cause the reforming catalyst to deteriorate and its lifetime to decrease.

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