Stress container unit and fuel battery system

Abstract

To provide a stress container unit capable of determining an abnormality of a filter with a light weight and a simple construction, and provide a fuel battery system.SOLUTION: A stress container unit 100 includes: a stress container 110 into which a hydrogen gas is filled; an exhaust port 111 of a fuel gas; and a first flow channel 112 connecting the stress container 110 and the exhaust port 111. The hydrogen gas is supplied to the exhaust port 111 against an another fuel battery unit 200, and a first stress measurement part 114, a filter 116 in a downstream of the first stress measurement part 114, a second stress measurement part 120 in the downstream of the filter 116, and a pressure reduction valve 117 in the downstream of the second stress measurement part 120 are arranged to the first flow channel 112.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pressure vessel unit and a fuel cell system. [Background technology]

[0002] A fuel cell system is known that has a pressure vessel unit that houses a pressure vessel filled with a fuel gas, for example hydrogen, and a fuel cell unit that houses a fuel cell that generates electricity through an electrochemical reaction between the hydrogen supplied from the pressure vessel unit and oxygen in the air (Patent Document 1). In the fuel cell system described in Patent Document 1, the pressure vessel unit and the fuel cell unit are separate entities, so that they can be transported independently. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-92318 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, it is preferable for a fuel cell system to have a filter capable of removing foreign matter and the like that has entered the fuel gas flow path in order to ensure normal operation of the fuel cell system as a whole by protecting valves, fuel cells, etc. That is, foreign matter and the like may enter the flow path, for example, when replacing a pressure vessel. Without a filter, there is a risk of a decrease in the amount of power generation due to a decrease in the flow rate of hydrogen, etc. For this reason, it is preferable for a fuel cell system to have a filter, and it is also preferable for the system to be able to determine abnormalities in the filter, such as clogging caused by the capture of foreign matter, etc.

[0005] In particular, when the pressure vessel unit and the fuel cell unit are constructed separately and portability is required, as in the fuel cell system described in Patent Document 1, it is preferable to be able to determine an abnormality in the filter with a lightweight and simple construction.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a pressure vessel unit and a fuel cell system that are lightweight and have a simple structure and are capable of detecting an abnormality in a filter. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pressure vessel unit including a pressure vessel filled with fuel gas, a fuel gas exhaust port, and a flow path connecting the pressure vessel and the exhaust port, the pressure vessel unit being configured to supply fuel gas to a separate fuel cell unit through the exhaust port, The pressure vessel unit is characterized in that the flow path includes a first pressure measurement section, a filter downstream of the first pressure measurement section, a second pressure measurement section downstream of the filter, and a pressure reducing valve downstream of the second pressure measurement section.

[0008] At least one of the first pressure measuring unit and the second pressure measuring unit may have a communication unit capable of transmitting a measured pressure value. An on-off valve may be disposed between the first pressure measuring unit and the filter. A shutoff valve may be disposed between the pressure reducing valve and the exhaust port.

[0009] According to another aspect, there is provided a fuel cell system comprising the above pressure vessel unit and a fuel cell unit having a fuel cell capable of generating electricity using fuel gas supplied from the pressure vessel unit. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the aspects of the present invention, a common effect is achieved in that a pressure vessel unit and a fuel cell system capable of determining an abnormality in a filter are provided with a lightweight and simple structure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a fuel cell system according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a fuel cell system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] The fuel cell system 1 has a pressure vessel unit 100 that houses a pressure vessel 110 filled with hydrogen as a fuel gas, and a fuel cell unit 200 that houses a fuel cell 210 that generates electricity by an electrochemical reaction between the hydrogen supplied from the pressure vessel unit 100 and oxygen in the air. The fuel cell system 1 may also include a management terminal, for example a mobile terminal 300.

[0014] The pressure vessel unit 100 has a housing 101 and a number of wheels 102 as transportation means provided on the housing 101 for movably supporting the pressure vessel unit 100. Three pressure vessels 110 are arranged inside the housing 101. The housing 101 is provided with an exhaust port 111, and the exhaust port 111 and each of the three pressure vessels 110 are connected by a first flow path 112. In the first flow path 112, in order from upstream to downstream from the pressure vessel 110 toward the exhaust port 111, an injection valve 113, a first pressure measuring unit 114, an on-off valve 115, a filter 116, a second pressure measuring unit 120, and a pressure reducing valve 117 are arranged.

[0015] The pressure vessels 110 are hydrogen cylinders. The three pressure vessels 110 are placed horizontally in the housing 101 and stacked in a pyramid shape. This allows the overall height of the pressure vessel unit 100 to be low, the pressure vessels 110 to be efficiently arranged in the housing 101, and further allows the pressure vessels 110 to be easily replaced.

[0016] Injection valve 113 is, for example, a mechanical check valve. When the amount of hydrogen in pressure vessel 110 decreases, hydrogen can be filled into pressure vessel 110 by injecting hydrogen from injection valve 113 with on-off valve 115 closed. At this time, hydrogen can be filled into pressure vessel 110 at an appropriate pressure by injecting hydrogen while checking the pressure in first flow path 112 measured by first pressure measurement unit 114. Because it is possible to fill pressure vessel 110 with hydrogen, the frequency of replacing pressure vessel 110 itself can be minimized.

[0017] The first pressure measuring unit 114 is a mechanical pressure gauge that mechanically measures pressure. The second pressure measuring unit 120 has a measuring element 121 equipped with a pressure-sensitive element. The second pressure measuring unit 120 is a digital pressure gauge that can convert the pressure measured by the measuring element 121 into an electric signal and output it as a pressure value. The second pressure measuring unit 120 further has a first communication unit 122 and a battery 123. The first communication unit 122 is a wireless communication means, for example, a WiFi module or a Bluetooth (registered trademark) module. The battery 123 is a primary battery, for example, a small button battery. The first communication unit 122 is powered by the battery 123 and can transmit the pressure value measured by the measuring element 121. The second pressure measuring unit 120 may have a display unit that can display the measured pressure value.

[0018] The upstream first pressure measurement unit may be a digital pressure gauge similar to the above-described second pressure measurement unit 120, and the downstream second pressure measurement unit 120 may be a mechanical pressure gauge similar to the above-described first pressure measurement unit 114. Both the first pressure measurement unit and the second pressure measurement unit may be a mechanical pressure gauge similar to the above-described first pressure measurement unit 114, or both the first pressure measurement unit 114 and the second pressure measurement unit 120 may be a digital pressure gauge similar to the above-described second pressure measurement unit 120. In short, it is preferable that at least one of the first pressure measurement unit and the second pressure measurement unit has a communication unit capable of transmitting a measured pressure value.

[0019] The on-off valve 115 and the pressure reducing valve 117 are mechanical valves that can be manually operated. As described above, the on-off valve 115 is closed when hydrogen is being filled into the pressure vessel 110 or when the pressure vessel unit 100 is not being used. The pressure reducing valve 117 is an adjustment valve that reduces the pressure of hydrogen flowing out from the pressure vessel unit 100 through the outlet 111. The filter 116 is a fired metal filter that has a filtering performance that allows hydrogen to pass through but not metal hydrides, and is formed from, for example, porous sintered metal.

[0020] A shutoff valve may be disposed between pressure reducing valve 117 and exhaust port 111. When excessive hydrogen leaks out, the shutoff valve automatically and mechanically operates to close, thereby preventing a large amount of hydrogen from leaking out of pressure vessel unit 100.

[0021] The fuel cell unit 200 has a housing 201 and a plurality of wheels 202 as transportation means provided on the housing 201 for movably supporting the fuel cell unit 200. Inside the housing 201 are a fuel cell 210, a fuel gas supply unit 220, a power unit 230, and an input / output unit 240. An inlet 211 is provided in the housing 201, and the inlet 211 and the fuel cell 210 are communicated with each other by a second flow path 212.

[0022] The fuel gas supply unit 220 has the second flow path 212 described above. In the fuel gas supply unit 220, in the second flow path 212, a filter 221, a safety valve 223 that communicates the second flow path 212 with the atmosphere via an exhaust port 222, a pressure reducing valve 224, and a purge valve 225 that communicates the second flow path 212 with the atmosphere via the exhaust port 222 are arranged in this order from the upstream side from the inlet 211 toward the fuel cell 210. The filter 221 is a fired metal filter having a filtering performance that allows hydrogen to pass through but does not allow metal hydride to pass through, and is formed of, for example, a porous sintered metal. The safety valve 223 is mechanically operated when the pressure in the second flow path 212 exceeds a threshold value, and releases hydrogen gas from the exhaust port 222 to the atmosphere. The pressure reducing valve 224 and the purge valve 225 are electromagnetic valves that are operated by power supplied from the fuel cell 210 or a battery 231 described later.

[0023] The power unit 230 has a battery 231, a DC / AC converter 232, an AC output unit 233 that outputs an AC voltage converted to 110 V by the DC / AC converter 232, a DC / DC converter 234, a cigarette lighter socket 235 that outputs a DC voltage converted to 12 V by the DC / DC converter 234, a DC / DC converter 236, and a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port 237 that outputs a DC voltage converted to 5 V by the DC / DC converter 236. The battery 231 is a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery. The battery 231 is used to store surplus power generated by the fuel cell 210 and to discharge and supply power when the fuel cell 210 is not generating power.

[0024] The input / output unit 240 has a second communication unit 241, an operation unit 242, a display unit 243, a hydrogen detector 244, an alarm 245, a heater 246, and a fan 247. The second communication unit 241 is a wireless communication means, for example, a WiFi module or a Bluetooth (registered trademark) module, or a communication module for a mobile phone network such as LTE, LTE-Advance, 4G, or 5G. The operation unit 242 is, for example, a touch panel integrated with the display unit 243. By operating the operation unit 242, for example, power generation by the fuel cell unit 200 can be started or stopped. The display unit 243 also displays state quantities such as the amount of power generated by the fuel cell 210 and the amount of stored power in the battery 231. The hydrogen detector 244 detects hydrogen leakage, and an alarm 245 issues a warning. The heater 246 is used to raise the temperature of the fuel cell unit 200 because a low outside air temperature can cause problems such as water accumulating in the flow path. The fan 247 is used to cool the fuel cell unit 200 .

[0025] The control unit 250 is an electronic control unit having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, and an input / output interface, and is, for example, a microcomputer. The CPU executes desired calculations according to a control program, and performs various processes and controls. The memory has, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The ROM stores control programs and control data to be processed by the CPU, and the RAM is mainly used as various work areas for control processes. The input / output interface of the control unit 250 is mutually connected to the fuel gas supply unit 220, the power unit 230, and the input / output unit 240, and thereby the control unit 250 comprehensively controls the overall operation of the fuel cell unit 200. For example, the control unit 250 controls the pressure reducing valve 224 of the fuel gas supply unit 220 to adjust the amount of hydrogen gas supplied to the fuel cell 210.

[0026] The mobile terminal 300 is, for example, a mobile phone. The mobile terminal 300 has a third communication unit 301, an operation unit 302, and a display unit 303. The third communication unit 301 is a wireless communication means, for example, a WiFi module or a Bluetooth (registered trademark) module, or a communication module for a mobile phone network such as LTE, LTE-Advance, 4G, or 5G. The operation unit 302 is, for example, a touch panel integrated with the display unit 303.

[0027] The pressure vessel unit 100 and the fuel cell unit 200 are connected by a tube 2. That is, one end of the tube 2 is connected to an outlet 111 of the pressure vessel unit 100, and the other end of the tube 2 is connected to an inlet 211 of the fuel cell unit 200. This allows a first flow path 112 of the pressure vessel unit 100 and a second flow path 212 of the fuel cell unit 200 to be in fluid communication. Hydrogen in the pressure vessel 110 of the pressure vessel unit 100 is supplied to the fuel cell 210 via the first flow path 112, the tube 2, and the second flow path 212 in accordance with the operation of a fuel gas supply unit 220 controlled by a control unit 250.

[0028] The pressure value of the first flow path 112 measured by the second pressure measurement unit 120 is transmitted by the first communication unit 122 to the second communication unit 241 of the fuel cell unit 200. The pressure value received by the second communication unit 241 may be displayed on the display unit 243. The pressure value received by the second communication unit 241 is transmitted by the second communication unit 241 to the third communication unit 301 of the mobile terminal 300. The pressure value received by the third communication unit 301 may be displayed on the display unit 303. The first communication unit 122 of the pressure vessel unit 100 may be a communication module for a mobile phone network such as LTE, LTE-Advance, 4G, or 5G, and the pressure value may be directly transmitted from the first communication unit 122 to the third communication unit 301 of the mobile terminal 300.

[0029] The pressure vessel unit 100 can measure the pressure in the first flow path 112 upstream of the filter 116 by the first pressure measurement unit 114, and the pressure in the first flow path 112 downstream of the filter 116 by the second pressure measurement unit 120. As described above, the first pressure measurement unit 114 is a mechanical pressure gauge, and the pressure value displayed on the first pressure measurement unit 114 can be read as is. On the other hand, the second pressure measurement unit 120 is a digital pressure gauge, and the measured pressure value can be confirmed via the display unit 303 of the mobile terminal 300. Note that, as described above, if the second pressure measurement unit 120 itself has a display unit, the pressure value can be read from the display.

[0030] When the filter 116 is not clogged and functions normally, the pressures in the first flow passage 112 on the upstream side and downstream side of the filter 116 are the same. On the other hand, when the pressures in the first flow passage 112 on the upstream side and downstream side of the filter 116 are not the same, specifically, when the pressure in the first flow passage 112 on the downstream side is lower than the pressure in the first flow passage 112 on the upstream side, the filter 116 is clogged. When the difference between the pressure value measured by the first pressure measuring unit 114 and the pressure value measured by the second pressure measuring unit 120, that is, the differential pressure, is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (threshold value), it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the filter 116, and the filter 116 is replaced. In addition, by checking the differential pressure periodically or every time a predetermined amount of hydrogen gas is consumed, it is also possible to predict when the threshold value will be exceeded.

[0031] According to the fuel cell system 1, the pressure vessel unit 100 and the fuel cell unit 200 are configured as separate bodies, which allows them to be easily transported individually. The pressure vessel unit 100 does not have a power source or wiring, etc., other than the battery 123 for the second pressure measurement section 120, and all other components operate mechanically or are manually operated. This allows the pressure vessel unit 100 to be configured light and simply, further improving portability. The pressure vessel unit 100 and the fuel cell unit 200 may have brake mechanisms to prevent them from moving on the wheels 102 and 202.

[0032] As described above, the fuel cell system 1 is capable of detecting an abnormality in a filter with a lightweight and simple configuration. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 1. Fuel cell system 2 Tubes 100 Pressure Vessel Unit 101 Case 102 wheels 110 Pressure Vessels 111 Outlet 112 First Channel 113 Injection valve 114 First pressure measurement unit 115 On-off valve 116 Filters 117 Pressure reducing valve 120 Second pressure measurement section 121 Probe 122 First Communications Department 123 Battery 200 Fuel Cell Unit 201 Case 202 Wheels 210 Fuel Cell 211 Inlet 212 Second Channel 220 Fuel gas supply unit 221 Filter 222 Exhaust port 223 Safety valve 224 Pressure reducing valve 225 Purge valve 240 Input / output section 250 Control section 300 Mobile Devices

Claims

1. A pressure vessel unit comprising a pressure vessel filled with a fuel gas, a fuel gas exhaust port, and a flow path connecting the pressure vessel and the exhaust port, the pressure vessel unit being configured to supply the fuel gas to a separate fuel cell unit through the exhaust port, A pressure vessel unit characterized in that the flow path includes a first pressure measurement unit, a filter downstream of the first pressure measurement unit, a second pressure measurement unit downstream of the filter, and a pressure reducing valve downstream of the second pressure measurement unit.

2. The pressure vessel unit according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first pressure measuring unit and the second pressure measuring unit has a communication unit capable of transmitting a measured pressure value.

3. 3. The pressure vessel unit according to claim 2, further comprising an on-off valve disposed between the first pressure measuring section and the filter.

4. 4. The pressure vessel unit of claim 3, further comprising an isolation valve disposed between said pressure reducing valve and said exhaust port.

5. 5. A fuel cell system comprising: the pressure vessel unit according to claim 1; and a fuel cell unit having a fuel cell capable of generating electricity using fuel gas supplied from the pressure vessel unit.

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