Fuel cell vessel and fuel cell system

Abstract

To provide technology for reducing danger due to fuel.SOLUTION: An exemplary fuel cell vessel propelling a hull by using electric power supplied by a fuel cell carrying out power generation by electrochemical reaction of fuel includes a block containing an emission source of the fuel, a first detector arranged in the block for detecting the fuel, a ventilation device used for ventilation inside the block, and a second detector arranged in the periphery of the ventilation device for detecting the fuel. Electric power supply to a non-explosion-proof apparatus in the block is stopped when concentration of the fuel in the block is detected to be a first threshold or more by the first detector, and the ventilation device is started when the power source of the second detector is in an ON state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, a fuel cell ship has been proposed in which fuel is supplied from a fuel tank to a fuel cell, and a propulsion device is driven by the electricity generated by the fuel cell (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which, if a cover member for a storage section that houses a fuel cell unit and a hydrogen fuel tank is illegally opened, hydrogen is actively discharged from the hydrogen fuel tank, quickly depleting the fuel and preventing theft. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-92815 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The fuel supplied to the fuel cell is a combustible gas such as hydrogen. For this reason, a safe design and safety measures that take into account the dangers posed by the fuel are desirable for fuel cell ships. As described above, fuel cell ships that aim to prevent fuel theft are known in the past, but it is believed that there is room for improvement in the safety measures.

[0005] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of reducing the dangers associated with fuel. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An exemplary fuel cell ship of the present invention is a fuel cell ship that propels its hull using electricity supplied from a fuel cell that generates electricity through an electrochemical reaction of fuel, and is equipped with a compartment including a fuel release source, a first detector disposed within the compartment for detecting the fuel, a ventilation device used to ventilate the interior of the compartment, and a second detector disposed around the ventilation device for detecting the fuel, and when the first detector detects that the concentration of the fuel in the compartment is equal to or greater than a first threshold, the power supply to non-explosion-proof equipment within the compartment is stopped, and the ventilation device is activated when the power of the second detector is on. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the dangers caused by fuel and improve safety. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a fuel cell ship according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic internal structure of the fuel cell ship. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a detailed example of a fuel cell ship according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the fuel cell ship shown in FIG. 3 with some components such as the cabin removed. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing the fuel cell compartment, the tank compartment, and the duct compartment of the fuel cell ship shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of the fuel cell compartment shown in FIG. 5 with the top wall removed. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of the tank compartment shown in FIG. 5 with a portion of the top wall removed. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion of the cross section taken along the line VIII-VIII in FIG. 3; [Figure 9] Flowchart showing an example of control at the time of starting up a ventilation device DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this specification, directions are defined as follows. First, the direction from the stern to the bow of the fuel cell ship is defined as "front", and the direction from the bow to the stern is defined as "rear". The lateral direction perpendicular to the fore-aft direction is defined as the left-right direction. In this case, the left side as seen from the operator when the fuel cell ship is moving forward is defined as "left", and the right side is defined as "right". Furthermore, the upstream side of the direction of gravity perpendicular to the fore-aft direction and the left-right direction is defined as "up", and the downstream side is defined as "down". In the following, an example will be described in which the fuel is gas, but the fuel is not limited to gas and may be liquid.

[0010] [1. Overview of fuel cell ship configuration] First, the fuel cell ship SH according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the general configuration of the fuel cell ship SH. The fuel cell ship SH includes a hull 1 and a cabin 2. The cabin 2 is disposed on the upper side of the hull 1. In this embodiment, the cabin 2 includes a bridge.

[0011] The fuel cell ship SH further includes a fuel cell system 3, a fuel gas storage unit 4, a battery system 5, a propulsion device 6, a plurality of peripheral devices 11, and a control device 12. Note that in Fig. 1, control signal or high voltage power supply lines are indicated by solid lines, and control signal or low voltage power supply lines are indicated by dashed dotted lines.

[0012] The fuel cell system 3 functions as a main power source. The fuel cell system 3 consumes fuel gas to generate electric power (specifically, DC power). The fuel gas is a combustible gas. Typically, the fuel gas is hydrogen gas. The fuel cell system 3 supplies the generated electric power to the propulsion device 6 and the peripheral devices 11. The fuel cell system 3 can also supply electric power to the storage battery system 5 to charge the storage battery system 5.

[0013] The fuel gas storage unit 4 stores the fuel gas to be supplied to the fuel cell system 3. The fuel gas is supplied from the fuel gas storage unit 4 to the fuel cell system 3 via a fuel gas supply pipe 32 (see FIG. 2) which will be described later.

[0014] The storage battery system 5 has a storage battery. The storage battery is, for example, a lithium ion secondary battery, but may also be a nickel-cadmium storage battery, a nickel-hydrogen storage battery, or the like. The storage battery system 5 functions as an auxiliary power source that supplies stored power (specifically, DC power) to the propulsion device 6 and peripheral devices 11. In this way, the storage battery system 5 functions as an auxiliary power source, making it possible to compensate for a shortage of power supply from the fuel cell system 3 to the propulsion device 6, etc. The storage battery system 5 may also supply power to the control device 12.

[0015] The propulsion device 6 is driven by electric power supplied from a fuel cell 31 (see FIG. 2 ), described later, of the fuel cell system 3, and generates propulsive force for the hull 1. In other words, the fuel cell ship SH propels the hull 1 using electric power supplied from the fuel cell 31.

[0016] The propulsion device 6 may be driven only by power supplied from the storage battery in the storage battery system 5, or may be driven by power supplied from both the fuel cell 31 and the storage battery. In other words, the propulsion device 6 may be driven by power supplied from at least one of the fuel cell and the storage battery to generate propulsive force for the hull 1.

[0017] The propulsion device 6 has a power conversion device 6a, a propulsion motor 6b, and a propeller 6c. The power conversion device 6a converts the power supplied from the fuel cell system 3 into power according to the specifications of the propulsion motor 6b. For example, the power conversion device 6a converts DC power into AC power. In this case, the power conversion device 6a has, for example, an inverter. The propulsion motor 6b is driven by the power (for example, AC power) supplied from the power conversion device 6a. When the propulsion motor 6b is driven, the rotational force of the propulsion motor 6b is transmitted to the propeller 6c. As a result, the propeller 6c rotates, and a propulsive force is generated in the hull 1. Note that a marine gear may be provided between the propulsion motor 6b and the propeller 6c.

[0018] The peripheral devices 11 include, for example, compressors, solenoid valves, pumps, etc. The peripheral devices 11 also include electrical devices such as lighting devices and air conditioners, but the types of the peripheral devices 11 are not particularly limited.

[0019] The control device 12 controls the fuel cell system 3, the fuel gas storage unit 4, the storage battery system 5, the propulsion device 6, and a plurality of peripheral devices 11. The control device 12 is configured, for example, by one or more computers. The computer is, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The control device 12 may be configured using a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller). The control device 12 is supplied with power from a battery (for example, a lead battery) not shown, or from a storage battery of the storage battery system 5.

[0020] The control device 12 has a control unit 12a and a storage unit 12b. The control unit 12a includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The storage unit 12b includes a storage device and stores data and computer programs. Specifically, the storage unit 12b includes a main storage device such as a semiconductor memory, and an auxiliary storage device such as a semiconductor memory, a solid state drive, and / or a hard disk drive. The storage unit 12b may include a removable medium.

[0021] The processor of the control unit 12a controls the fuel cell system 3, the fuel gas storage unit 4, the battery system 5, the propulsion device 6, and the multiple peripheral devices 11 by executing computer programs stored in the storage device of the storage unit 12b.

[0022] [2. Overview of the internal structure of the fuel cell ship] Next, the internal structure of the fuel cell ship SH will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram that shows a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the fuel cell ship SH. In Fig. 2, the flow of air is indicated by dashed arrows. In Fig. 2, each component is illustrated with the right side of the drawing as the bow side (front side) and the left side of the drawing as the stern side (rear side), but as long as the connection relationship of each component is maintained, the position of each component is not limited to the position shown in Fig. 2.

[0023] The fuel cell ship SH comprises an engine room 13 and a fuel room 14. The engine room 13 and the fuel room 14 are disposed under the deck 1a of the hull 1. The engine room 13 is located forward of the fuel room 14. Bulkheads W1, W2, and W3 are located under the deck 1a in this order from the front to the rear. The engine room 13 is separated from other spaces by the bulkheads W1 and W2. The fuel room 14 is separated from other spaces by the bulkheads W2 and W3. The bulkheads W1 to W3 are made of, for example, fiber reinforced plastics (FRP), but may be made of steel plates, etc.

[0024] (2-1. Configuration of fuel cell system) The fuel cell system 3 of the fuel cell ship SH is located in the engine room 13. The fuel cell system 3 has a fuel cell 31, a fuel gas supply pipe 32, and a fuel cell side shutoff valve 33.

[0025] The fuel cell 31 generates electric power (specifically, DC power) through an electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas and an oxidant gas. Typically, the oxidant gas is air, and the oxidant is oxygen. In other words, the fuel cell 31 generates electric power through an electrochemical reaction of the fuel.

[0026] The fuel cell 31 is a fuel cell stack composed of a plurality of stacked cells. For example, each cell of the fuel cell 31 has a solid polymer electrolyte membrane, an anode electrode, a cathode electrode, and a pair of separators. The anode electrode and the cathode electrode sandwich the solid polymer electrolyte membrane. The anode electrode is a negative electrode (fuel electrode). The anode electrode includes an anode catalyst layer and a gas diffusion layer. The cathode electrode is a positive electrode (air electrode). The cathode electrode includes a cathode catalyst layer and a gas diffusion layer. The anode electrode, the solid polymer electrolyte membrane, and the cathode electrode form a membrane electrode assembly (MEA: Membrane Electrode Assembly). The pair of separators sandwich the membrane electrode assembly. Each separator has a plurality of grooves. Each groove of one separator forms a flow path for fuel gas. Each groove of the other separator forms a flow path for oxidant gas.

[0027] In the above-described configuration of the fuel cell 31, hydrogen contained in the fuel gas is decomposed into hydrogen ions and electrons by a catalyst on the anode side. The hydrogen ions pass through the solid polymer electrolyte membrane and move to the cathode side. Meanwhile, the electrons pass through an external circuit and move to the cathode side. This generates an electric current (generates electricity). On the cathode side, oxygen contained in the oxidant gas combines with the electrons that have flowed through the external circuit and the hydrogen ions that have passed through the solid polymer electrolyte membrane to generate water. The generated water is discharged overboard via the discharge pipe 31a.

[0028] The fuel cell 31 supplies the generated electric power to the propulsion device 6 and the peripheral device 11 shown in Fig. 1. The fuel cell 31 may also supply the generated electric power to the propulsion device 6 and the peripheral device 11 indirectly via a circuit such as a DC / DC converter.

[0029] The fuel gas supply piping 32 is a piping for supplying fuel gas stored in a fuel tank 41 (described later) of the fuel gas storage unit 4 to the anode of the fuel cell 31. In other words, the fuel cell ship SH is provided with the fuel gas supply piping 32 for supplying fuel gas from the fuel tank 41 to the fuel cell 31.

[0030] The fuel cell side shutoff valve 33 is an example of a shutoff valve SV that opens or closes the flow path of the fuel gas supply pipe 32. The opening and closing of the fuel cell side shutoff valve 33 is controlled by the control unit 12a (see FIG. 1). Specifically, the fuel cell side shutoff valve 33 switches between supplying and stopping the supply of fuel gas from the fuel tank 41 to the fuel cell 31 based on the control of the control unit 12a. Only one fuel cell side shutoff valve 33 is provided on the fuel gas supply pipe 32 in the fuel cell compartment 30 in which the fuel cell 31 is arranged, but two or more may be provided. Details of the fuel cell compartment 30 provided in the fuel cell ship SH will be described later.

[0031] The fuel cell system 3 further includes a cooling medium tank 38 and a cooling medium pipe 39. The cooling medium tank 38 stores a cooling medium for cooling the fuel cell 31. The cooling medium may be, for example, an antifreeze liquid having low electrical conductivity. The antifreeze liquid is, for example, a liquid obtained by mixing pure water and ethylene glycol in a predetermined ratio. The cooling medium tank 38 is sealed, but the top may be open.

[0032] The cooling medium piping 39 is a piping for circulating the cooling medium between the fuel cell 31 and a heat exchanger (not shown). A circulation pump (not shown) is also provided midway through the cooling medium piping 39. The circulation pump is driven to supply the cooling medium from the heat exchanger to the fuel cell 31 via the cooling medium piping 39, thereby cooling the fuel cell 31. The cooling medium used to cool the fuel cell 31 is also supplied to the cooling medium tank 38 via the cooling medium piping 39, where volume changes associated with temperature changes of the cooling medium are absorbed and the liquid amount of the cooling medium is monitored.

[0033] (2-2. Configuration of fuel gas storage section) The fuel gas storage section 4 of the fuel cell ship SH has a fuel tank 41, a gas filling pipe 42, and a tank-side shutoff valve 43.

[0034] The fuel tank 41 is a container that stores fuel. In this embodiment, the fuel tank 41 stores fuel gas to be supplied to the fuel cell 31. The fuel tank 41 may be, for example, a gas bottle, a cylinder, a cylinder formed by assembling a plurality of cylinders, or the like. For convenience, only one fuel tank 41 is illustrated in FIG. 2, but the number of fuel tanks 41 is not particularly limited, and there may be a plurality of fuel tanks.

[0035] Gas filling pipe 42 is a pipe for refilling fuel gas into fuel tank 41 or for filling it with inert gas. One end of gas filling pipe 42 is connected to fuel tank 41. The other end of gas filling pipe 42 branches into two, which are connected to a fuel gas filling port 82 and an inert gas filling port 84, respectively. Fuel gas filling port 82 and inert gas filling port 84 are provided in a duct section 90 (particularly the upper duct section 80), which will be described in detail later.

[0036] The inert gas is, for example, nitrogen gas. For example, when performing maintenance such as inspection or repair of the fuel cell ship SH in a dock, if fuel gas remains in the fuel tank 41, there is a risk of an explosion if the fuel gas ignites for some reason. Therefore, when performing maintenance on the fuel cell ship SH, the fuel tank 41 is filled with inert gas and the fuel gas is removed from the fuel tank 41. This makes it possible to avoid the risk of the explosion.

[0037] In the above-mentioned fuel gas supply piping 32, the side opposite to the side connected to the fuel cell 31 is connected to the fuel tank 41. The fuel tank 41 and the fuel cell 31 are connected via the fuel gas supply piping 32. In other words, the fuel cell ship SH further includes a fuel supply piping that connects the fuel tank 41 and the fuel cell 31. The fuel gas supply piping 32 is an example of a fuel supply piping.

[0038] The tank side shutoff valve 43 is an example of a shutoff valve SV that opens or closes the flow path of the fuel gas supply pipe 32. The opening and closing of the tank side shutoff valve 43 is controlled by the control unit 12a. Specifically, the tank side shutoff valve 43 switches between supplying and stopping the supply of fuel gas from the fuel tank 41 to the fuel cell 31 based on the control of the control unit 12a. Only one tank side shutoff valve 43 is provided in the fuel gas supply pipe 32 within the tank compartment 40 in which the fuel tank 41 is installed, but two or more may be provided. Details of the tank compartment 40 provided in the fuel cell ship SH will be described later.

[0039] [3. Details of the plot] The fuel cell ship SH includes a compartment including a fuel release source. In this embodiment, the fuel is fuel gas, specifically hydrogen gas. The fuel release source broadly includes any part that may release fuel gas. The fuel release source is, for example, the fuel cell 31, the fuel gas supply pipe 32, the fuel tank 41, and the like. In this embodiment, there are multiple compartments including fuel release sources.

[0040] 2, in this embodiment, the multiple compartments include a fuel cell compartment 30 and a tank compartment 40. The fuel cell compartment 30 is a compartment in which a fuel cell 31 is installed. The tank compartment 40 is a compartment in which a fuel tank 41 that holds fuel is installed.

[0041] In this embodiment, the multiple compartments further include a duct compartment 90. The duct compartment 90 is a compartment that accommodates a portion of the fuel supply pipe. In detail, the duct compartment 90 is composed of a lower duct compartment 70 and an upper duct compartment 80. The lower duct compartment 70 accommodates a portion of the fuel gas supply pipe 32, which is an example of a fuel supply pipe. The "portion of the fuel gas supply pipe 32" may be the entirety or a portion of the portion of the fuel gas supply pipe 32 that is located between the fuel cell compartment 30 and the tank compartment 40. In this embodiment, the lower duct compartment 70 accommodates a portion of the portion of the fuel gas supply pipe 32 that is located between the fuel cell compartment 30 and the tank compartment 40. Note that the duct compartment 90 is not an essential component and may not be provided in some cases.

[0042] The detailed configurations of the fuel cell compartment 30, the tank compartment 40, and the duct compartment 90 will be described below. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing a detailed example of the fuel cell ship SH. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the fuel cell ship SH shown in Fig. 3 with some of the components such as the cabin 2 removed. Note that in Fig. 4, part of the deck 1a has also been removed so that the tank compartment 40 and the duct compartment 90 can be seen. Fig. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing the fuel cell compartment 30, the tank compartment 40, and the duct compartment 90 provided in the fuel cell ship SH shown in Fig. 4.

[0043] In the fuel cell ship SH shown in Fig. 3, an upper duct section 80, which is part of the duct section 90, is configured using the cabin 2. For this reason, the upper duct section 80 is not shown in Fig. 4, which shows the fuel cell ship SH from which the cabin 2 has been removed. Also in Fig. 5, the details of the upper duct section 80 are not shown, and the vicinity of the position where the upper duct section 80 is provided is indicated by a dashed line frame.

[0044] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, in this embodiment, the fuel cell ship SH has a fuel cell compartment 30, a tank compartment 40, and a duct compartment 90 arranged on each of the left side (port side) and right side (starboard side) of the hull 1. In other words, the equipment required for generating electricity using fuel cells 31 is provided on each of the left and right sides of the hull 1. For this reason, the above-mentioned Figure 2 is a diagram specifically showing the configuration of one side (one side) of the hull 1.

[0045] In this embodiment, the fuel cell compartment 30, the duct compartment 90, and the tank compartment 40 are arranged in this order from front to rear on each of the left and right sides. The configurations of the compartments 30, 40, and 90 are the same on each of the left and right sides. In this embodiment, there are two compartment sets of the fuel cell compartment 30, the tank compartment 40, and the duct compartment 90. However, this is merely an example, and the number of such compartment sets may be one or three or more.

[0046] (3-1. Fuel Cell Compartment) The fuel cell compartment 30 is a container that houses the fuel cell 31 (see, for example, FIG. 2 and FIG. 6 described below). The fuel cell compartment 30 is disposed in the engine room 13 (see, for example, FIG. 2 and FIG. 4). The fuel cell compartment 30 has a hollow shape. The fuel cell compartment 30 may also be considered as a container, a chamber, or a box that houses the fuel cell 31.

[0047] The fuel cell 31 (fuel cell stack) installed in the fuel cell compartment 30 may have different power generation performance depending on the direction of inclination with respect to a horizontal plane perpendicular to the up-down direction. The power generation performance is, for example, power generation output. For example, the fuel cell 31 may have a different power generation output when inclined in the front-rear direction with respect to the horizontal plane and when inclined in the left-right direction. In other words, the inclination compatible angle of the fuel cell 31 with respect to the horizontal plane differs depending on the inclination direction. Here, in a direction with a large inclination compatible angle, even if the inclination of the fuel cell 31 becomes large, the effect on the power generation performance (power generation output) is small, and in a direction with a small inclination compatible angle, the effect on the power generation performance is large. In the fuel cell ship SH, the required inclination compatible angle of the fuel cell 31 is large in the rolling direction, which is the direction of rotation about an axis extending in the front-rear direction. That is, the fuel cell 31 is required to have a large inclination compatible angle with respect to the inclination in the left-right direction. Therefore, it is preferable that the fuel cell 31 is arranged so that the direction with a small inclination compatible angle does not coincide with the left-right direction. It is preferable that the fuel cell 31 is arranged so that the direction with a large inclination compatible angle coincides with the left-right direction.

[0048] In this embodiment, the fuel cell compartment 30 has a hollow rectangular parallelepiped shape. The outer walls constituting the fuel cell compartment 30 include, for example, a top wall 30a, a bottom wall 30b, a rear wall 30c, a front wall 30d, a left wall 30e, and a right wall 30f (see, for example, Figures 2, 5, and Figure 6 described below). The shape of the fuel cell compartment 30 is not particularly limited as long as it has a space capable of accommodating the fuel cell 31. The material of the outer walls of the fuel cell compartment 30 is, for example, FRP, but may also be an iron plate or the like.

[0049] Specifically, the fuel cell compartment 30 has a configuration in which a top wall 30a is attached to a box-shaped member in which the bottom wall 30b, rear wall 30c, front wall 30d, left wall 30e, and right wall 30f are formed from a single member. FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of the fuel cell compartment 30 shown in FIG. 5 with the top wall 30a removed. Specifically, FIG. 6 shows the fuel cell compartment 30 disposed on the left side of the hull 1. As shown in FIG. 6, the fuel cell compartment 30 accommodates, in addition to the fuel cell 31, a DC / DC converter 311. Specifically, the DC / DC converter 311 boosts the voltage of the power generated by the fuel cell 31. The DC / DC converter 311 may be disposed outside the fuel cell compartment 30.

[0050] 2, the fuel cell compartment 30 further accommodates a portion of the above-mentioned fuel gas supply pipe 32 and a fuel cell-side shutoff valve 33. The fuel cell compartment 30 also accommodates a battery compartment internal gas detector 34a. The battery compartment internal gas detector 34a is a fuel gas detector disposed inside the fuel cell compartment 30. For example, when the fuel gas is hydrogen gas, the battery compartment internal gas detector 34a is composed of a hydrogen gas detection sensor.

[0051] The battery compartment internal gas detector 34a is disposed on the inner surface of the top wall 30a located at the top of the fuel cell compartment 30. Hydrogen gas as fuel gas is lighter than air and rises. Therefore, by disposing the battery compartment internal gas detector 34a on the top wall 30a of the fuel cell compartment 30, even if fuel gas leaks inside the fuel cell compartment 30, the leaked fuel gas can be properly detected by the battery compartment internal gas detector 34a.

[0052] When the battery compartment internal gas detector 34a detects fuel gas in the fuel cell compartment 30, the detection signal is sent from the battery compartment internal gas detector 34a to the controller 12a. This enables the controller 12a to control the fuel cell side shutoff valve 33 provided in the fuel gas supply pipe 32 to stop the supply of fuel gas from the fuel tank 41 to the fuel cell 31.

[0053] The fuel cell compartment 30 has ventilation openings for ventilating the interior of the compartment. In particular, as shown in Figures 2 and 6, the ventilation openings of the fuel cell compartment 30 include a battery compartment air inlet 30g and a battery compartment air outlet 30h.

[0054] The battery compartment air inlet 30g is provided in one of the left or right outer walls of the fuel cell compartment 30. In the fuel cell compartment 30 on the left side of the hull 1, the battery compartment air inlet 30g includes an opening that penetrates the left wall 30e in the left-right direction. In the fuel cell compartment 30 on the right side of the hull 1, the battery compartment air inlet 30g includes an opening that penetrates the right wall 30f in the left-right direction. The battery compartment air inlet 30g is connected to a battery compartment air supply pipe 35, which will be described later. The location where the battery compartment air inlet 30g is provided may be changed as appropriate, and may be in another outer wall that constitutes the fuel cell compartment 30.

[0055] The battery compartment exhaust port 30h is provided in the rear wall 30c of each of the fuel cell compartments 30 arranged on the left and right sides of the hull 1. The battery compartment exhaust port 30h includes an opening that penetrates the rear wall 30c in the front-to-rear direction. The battery compartment exhaust port 30h communicates with the duct compartment 90, which will be described in detail later. The battery compartment exhaust port 30h may be provided in an outer wall of the fuel cell compartment 30 other than the rear wall 30c.

[0056] A battery compartment air supply pipe 35 is connected to the fuel cell compartment 30. The battery compartment air supply pipe 35 extends from a battery compartment air supply port 30g of the fuel cell compartment 30 to the deck 1a and is exposed above the deck 1a. A battery compartment air supply device 36 and a battery compartment external gas detector 37 are disposed at the end of the battery compartment air supply pipe 35 on the deck 1a side. The battery compartment air supply device 36 and the battery compartment external gas detector 37 are disposed, in detail, on the upper part of the deck 1a.

[0057] The battery compartment air supply device 36 supplies air from outside the fuel cell compartment 30 (air from outside the ship in this example) to the inside of the fuel cell compartment 30 via the battery compartment air supply pipe 35 and the battery compartment air supply port 30g. As a result of the supply of air from outside the fuel cell compartment 30, the air inside the fuel cell compartment 30 is exhausted to the duct compartment 90 via the battery compartment exhaust port 30h. This ventilates the inside of the fuel cell compartment 30. As a result, it is possible to prevent flammable gas (e.g., fuel gas leaking from the fuel cell 31) from accumulating inside the fuel cell compartment 30.

[0058] The battery compartment air supply device 36 is configured, for example, by an inexpensive non-explosion-proof air supply fan, but may also be configured by an explosion-proof air supply fan. The operation of the battery compartment air supply device 36 is controlled by the control unit 12a. The battery compartment air supply device 36 is housed in an air supply device housing BO1 (see, for example, Figures 3 and 5) that is fixedly disposed on the deck 1a. The material that constitutes the air supply device housing BO1 is not particularly limited, but may be configured, for example, by a metal such as stainless steel.

[0059] A filter unit FP1 is disposed adjacent to the air supply device housing BO1 that houses the battery compartment air supply device 36. The interior of the air supply device housing BO1 and the interior of the filter unit FP1 are in communication. One or more filters are disposed inside the filter unit FP1. The provision of the filter unit FP1 makes it possible to prevent dust and the like from entering the fuel cell compartment 30. In this embodiment, a dustproof filter and a salt damage prevention filter are disposed inside the filter unit FP1. This makes it possible to prevent dust and sea salt particles from entering the fuel cell compartment 30.

[0060] It is also possible to configure the filter unit FP1 to only include a salt damage protection filter, and this configuration is also capable of removing dust and sea salt particles. However, when configuring the filter unit FP1 to include a dust protection filter and a salt damage protection filter, it is preferable to configure the dust protection filter upstream of the salt damage protection filter in the airflow generated by the battery compartment air supply device 36. With this configuration, dust can be removed by the dust protection filter before the salt damage protection filter, and dust and sea salt particles can be removed while extending the life of the expensive salt damage protection filter.

[0061] The battery compartment external gas detector 37 detects combustible gas (e.g., hydrogen gas floating around the hull 1) flowing from the outside of the fuel cell compartment 30 to the inside. The battery compartment external gas detector 37 is a combustible gas sensor such as a hydrogen gas sensor. In this embodiment, the battery compartment external gas detector 37 is disposed in the air supply device housing BO1. The battery compartment external gas detector 37 is disposed, for example, on the opposite side of the battery compartment air supply device 36 from the battery compartment air supply pipe 35, that is, upstream of the air flow from the outside of the fuel cell compartment 30 to the inside. The battery compartment external gas detector 37 may be configured as a gas sensor that detects combustible gases other than hydrogen gas. Combustible gases other than hydrogen gas include, for example, methane, ethane, propane, carbon monoxide, and the like.

[0062] The battery compartment external gas detector 37 outputs a detection signal indicating, for example, the concentration of the combustible gas to the control unit 12a. This allows the control unit 12a to determine whether the concentration of the combustible gas is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold based on the detection signal. If the concentration is equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold, the control unit 12a can control the fuel cell side cutoff valve 33 to stop the supply of fuel gas from the fuel tank 41 to the fuel cell 31. The predetermined threshold may be determined based on experiments and / or experience.

[0063] The above-mentioned battery compartment internal gas detector 34a (see FIG. 2) is preferably disposed in the top wall 30a located at the top of the fuel cell compartment 30, at a position close to the battery compartment exhaust port 30h or inside the battery compartment exhaust port 30h. In the unlikely event that fuel gas leaks in the fuel cell compartment 30, the leaked fuel gas is exhausted through the battery compartment exhaust port 30h. That is, the battery compartment exhaust port 30h is located at the most downstream side of the flow path through which the fuel gas flows when the fuel gas leaks in the fuel cell compartment 30. Therefore, by disposing the battery compartment internal gas detector 34a at a position close to the battery compartment exhaust port 30h or inside the battery compartment exhaust port 30h, it is possible to improve the possibility of detecting the leaked fuel gas regardless of the position at which the fuel gas leaks in the fuel cell compartment 30. That is, the battery compartment internal gas detector 34a may be configured to be located at the most downstream side of the flow path through which the fuel gas flows when the fuel gas leaks.

[0064] The fuel cell compartment 30 has an internal space that is sealed except for the battery compartment air inlet 30g and the battery compartment exhaust 30h. That is, the fuel cell compartment 30 is sealed except for the battery compartment air inlet 30g and the battery compartment exhaust 30h. In other words, the fuel cell compartment 30 is sealed except for the ventilation opening that ventilates the interior of the compartment (its own compartment). Due to this sealed structure, in principle, air that enters the fuel cell compartment 30 from the battery compartment air inlet 30g by the operation of the battery compartment air supply device 36 is exhausted from the fuel cell compartment 30 through the battery compartment exhaust 30h.

[0065] To ensure airtightness, a sealant is appropriately placed in locations where gaps may occur. For example, a sealant is placed in a portion where a plurality of members are combined and placed. For example, a sealant is placed between the box-shaped members constituting the bottom wall 30b, the rear wall 30c, the front wall 30d, the left wall 30e, and the right wall 30f, and the top wall 30a. Also, for example, a sealant is placed in a screw-fastened portion. Also, for example, a sealant is appropriately placed in an appropriate location of a hole provided in the fuel cell compartment 30 to pass electrical wiring and piping.

[0066] (3-2. Tank section) The tank compartment 40 is a container that houses the fuel tank 41 (see, for example, FIG. 2 and FIG. 7 described later). The tank compartment 40 is disposed in the fuel chamber 14 (see, for example, FIG. 2 and FIG. 4). The tank compartment 40 has a hollow shape. The tank compartment 40 may also be considered as a container, a chamber, or a box that houses the fuel tank 41.

[0067] As shown in Fig. 4, in this embodiment, the fuel chamber 14, which is provided behind the engine room 13 and in which the tank compartment 40 is arranged, is divided into two. That is, in this embodiment, there are two fuel chambers 14. A battery chamber 15, which houses a storage battery (not shown) of the storage battery system 5, is arranged between the two fuel chambers 14 in the left-right direction. By arranging the fuel chamber 14 and the battery chamber 15 together behind the hull 1 in this way, the space in the hull 1 can be used efficiently, and the hull 1 can be made more compact.

[0068] In this embodiment, the tank compartment 40 has a hollow, generally rectangular parallelepiped shape. The tank compartment 40 is disposed in the fuel chamber 14 with its longitudinal direction being the front-rear direction. The outer walls constituting the tank compartment 40 include, for example, a top wall 40a, a bottom wall 40b, a rear wall 40c, a front wall 40d, a left wall 40e, and a right wall 40f (see, for example, Figures 2, 5, and Figure 7 described below). The shape of the tank compartment 40 is not particularly limited as long as it has a space capable of accommodating at least one fuel tank 41. The material of the outer walls of the tank compartment 40 is, for example, FRP, but may also be a steel plate or the like.

[0069] In detail, the tank compartment 40 has a configuration in which a top wall 40a is attached to a box-shaped member in which the bottom wall 40b, the rear wall 40c, the front wall 40d, the left wall 40e, and the right wall 40f are formed of a single member. Fig. 7 is a schematic perspective view of the tank compartment 40 shown in Fig. 5 with a portion of the top wall 40a removed. In detail, Fig. 7 shows the tank compartment 40 located on the left side of the hull 1.

[0070] The above-mentioned box-shaped member constituting the tank section 40 is made of FRP in this embodiment. The left wall 40e and the right wall 40f are provided with thin-walled portions 401 that are thinner in the left-right direction than other portions. The left wall 40e and the right wall 40f are each provided with a plurality of thin-walled portions 401. The plurality of thin-walled portions 401 are rectangular and arranged at intervals in the front-rear direction. The thin-walled portions 401 of the left wall 40e and the thin-walled portions 401 of the right wall 40f are arranged opposite each other in the left-right direction. In this embodiment, the thin-walled portions 401 of the left wall 40e and the thin-walled portions 401 of the right wall 40f are arranged symmetrically with respect to a bisecting plane that divides the above-mentioned box-shaped member into two equal parts to the left and right. By providing the thin-walled portions 401, it is possible to reduce the weight while maintaining the strength required for the container constituting the tank section 40. The thin-walled portions 401 may not be provided. Furthermore, when the thin portions 401 are provided, the shape, number, and arrangement of the thin portions 401 may be appropriately changed from the configuration of this embodiment.

[0071] A frame member 402 made of a metal such as aluminum is disposed on the upper portion of the box-shaped member constituting the tank compartment 40. The frame member 402 can improve the strength of the container constituting the tank compartment 40. In addition, by attaching a member such as an eye bolt to the frame member 402, the tank compartment 40 can be hoisted and installed by a crane or the like during construction of the hull. The frame member 402 has a rectangular frame portion 402a in a plan view from above, and a plurality of bridging portions 402b that bridge the left and right portions of the frame portion 402a. The frame portion 402a is disposed on the outer edge of the box-shaped member. The plurality of bridging portions 402b extending in the left-right direction are all linear and disposed at intervals in the front-rear direction. By providing the plurality of bridging portions 402b, a plurality of rectangular frame member openings 402c are arranged in the front-rear direction in the portion surrounded by the frame member 402.

[0072] The top wall 40a constituting the tank section 40 is specifically configured to be divided into a plurality of parts. That is, there are a plurality of top walls 40a. Although there may be only one top wall 40a, dividing it into a plurality of parts can improve, for example, ease of handling. Each of the plurality of top walls 40a is disposed so as to cover each frame member opening 402c.

[0073] In this embodiment, a cylindrical portion 403 is provided on the front wall 40d of the tank compartment 40 to cover the fuel gas supply pipe 32 and the gas fill pipe 42 that protrude forward from the tank compartment 40. The provision of the cylindrical portion 403 makes it possible to form a double-pipe structure, and even if fuel gas leaks from the fuel gas supply pipe 32 or the gas fill pipe 42, the fuel gas can be prevented from leaking into the fuel chamber 14. Note that, in this embodiment, the two pipes 32, 42 pass through one cylindrical portion 403, but a cylindrical portion may be provided for each of the pipes 32, 42. That is, the tank compartment 40 may be provided with a plurality of cylindrical portions that form a double-pipe structure.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 7, four fuel tanks 41 are disposed in the tank compartment 40. The number of fuel tanks 41 accommodated in the tank compartment 40 may be changed as appropriate, as long as it is one or more. As shown in FIG. 2, the tank compartment 40 further accommodates a part of the fuel gas supply pipe 32 described above and a tank side shutoff valve 43. The tank compartment 40 also accommodates a tank compartment internal gas detector 44a. The tank compartment internal gas detector 44a is a fuel gas detector disposed inside the tank compartment 40. For example, when the fuel gas is hydrogen gas, the tank compartment internal gas detector 44a is configured with a hydrogen gas detection sensor.

[0075] The tank compartment internal gas detector 44a is disposed on the inner surface of the top wall 40a located at the top of the tank compartment 40. Hydrogen gas as fuel gas is lighter than air and rises. Therefore, by disposing the tank compartment internal gas detector 44a on the top wall 40a of the tank compartment 40, even if fuel gas leaks inside the tank compartment 40, the leaked fuel gas can be properly detected by the tank compartment internal gas detector 44a.

[0076] When the tank compartment internal gas detector 44a detects fuel gas in the tank compartment 40, the detection signal is sent from the tank compartment internal gas detector 44a to the control unit 12a. As a result, the control unit 12a can control the tank side cutoff valve 43 provided in the fuel gas supply pipe 32 to stop the supply of fuel gas from the fuel tank 41 to the fuel cell 31.

[0077] The tank compartment 40 has ventilation openings for ventilating the interior of the compartment. In particular, as shown in Figures 2 and 7, the ventilation openings of the tank compartment 40 include a tank compartment air inlet 40g and a tank compartment air outlet 40h.

[0078] The tank compartment air supply port 40g is provided in the rear wall 40c of the tank compartment 40. The tank compartment air supply port 40g includes an opening that penetrates the rear wall 40c in the front-rear direction. The tank compartment air supply port 40g is connected to a tank compartment air supply pipe 45, which will be described later. The location where the tank compartment air supply port 40g is provided may be changed as appropriate, and may be another outer wall that constitutes the tank compartment 40.

[0079] The tank compartment exhaust port 40h is provided in the top wall 40a of the tank compartment 40. As described above, in this embodiment, the top wall 40a of the tank compartment 40 is composed of multiple sheets arranged in the front-rear direction. The tank compartment exhaust port 40h is provided in the top wall 40a that is located at the forefront of the multiple top walls 40a. However, the top wall 40a in which the tank compartment exhaust port 40h is provided may be other than the foremost top wall 40a among the multiple top walls 40a. The tank compartment exhaust port 40h is configured to include an opening that penetrates the top wall 40a in the vertical direction. The tank compartment exhaust port 40h is connected to the vent pipe 10. The vent pipe 10 is a pipe for directing air inside the tank compartment 40 to the outside of the ship. The tank compartment exhaust port 40h may be provided in an outer wall of the tank compartment 40 other than the top wall 40a.

[0080] A tank compartment air supply pipe 45 is connected to the tank compartment 40. The tank compartment air supply pipe 45 extends from a tank compartment air supply port 40g of the tank compartment 40 to the deck 1a and is exposed above the deck 1a. A tank compartment air supply device 46 and a tank compartment external gas detector 47 are disposed at the end of the tank compartment air supply pipe 45 on the deck 1a side. The tank compartment air supply device 46 and the tank compartment external gas detector 47 are disposed on the upper part of the deck 1a.

[0081] The tank compartment air supply device 46 supplies air outside the tank compartment 40 (outside the ship in this example) to the inside of the tank compartment 40 via the tank compartment air supply pipe 45 and the tank compartment air supply port 40g. By supplying air from outside the tank compartment 40, the air inside the tank compartment 40 is exhausted to the vent pipe 10 via the tank compartment exhaust port 40h. This ventilates the inside of the tank compartment 40. As a result, even if fuel gas leaks from the fuel tank 41 inside the tank compartment 40, the accumulation of the fuel gas can be suppressed.

[0082] The tank compartment air supply device 46 is configured, for example, by an inexpensive non-explosion-proof air supply fan, but may also be configured by an explosion-proof air supply fan. The operation of the tank compartment air supply device 46 is controlled by the control unit 12a. The tank compartment air supply device 46, like the above-mentioned battery compartment air supply device 36, is housed in an air supply device housing BO2 (see, for example, FIG. 5) that is fixedly disposed on the deck 1a. In addition, a filter unit FP2 is connected to the air supply device housing BO2 that houses the tank compartment air supply device 46.

[0083] The configuration of the filter unit FP2 is generally similar to that of the battery compartment air supply device 36 described above. However, the filter unit FP2 connected to the air supply device housing BO2 that houses the tank compartment air supply device 46 is not adjacent to the air supply device housing BO2, but is connected to the air supply device housing BO2 via a connection pipe CP. By providing the connection pipe CP in this manner, the intake port for external air when the tank compartment air supply device 46 is driven can be disposed at an appropriate position that takes safety into consideration. For example, it is possible to set the distance from the opening (the atmospheric side opening part of the filter unit FP2) leading to the tank compartment 40 to other devices or the air supply port to a predetermined distance or more.

[0084] The tank compartment external gas detector 47 detects combustible gas (e.g., hydrogen gas floating around the hull 1) flowing from the outside of the tank compartment 40 to the inside. The tank compartment external gas detector 47 is a combustible gas sensor such as a hydrogen gas sensor. In this embodiment, the tank compartment external gas detector 47 is disposed inside the air supply device housing BO2. The tank compartment external gas detector 47 is disposed on the opposite side of the tank compartment air supply device 46 from the tank compartment air supply pipe 45, that is, on the upstream side of the air flow from the outside of the tank compartment 40 to the inside. The tank compartment external gas detector 47 may be configured as a gas sensor that detects combustible gas other than hydrogen gas.

[0085] The tank compartment external gas detector 47 outputs a detection signal indicating, for example, the concentration of the combustible gas to the control unit 12a. This allows the control unit 12a to determine whether the concentration of the combustible gas is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold based on the detection signal. If the concentration is equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold, the control unit 12a controls the tank-side shutoff valve 43 to stop the supply of fuel gas from the fuel tank 41 to the fuel cell 31. The predetermined threshold may be determined based on experiments and / or experience.

[0086] The tank compartment internal gas detector 44a (see FIG. 2) is disposed in the top wall 40a located at the top of the tank compartment 40, at a position close to the tank compartment exhaust port 40h or inside the tank compartment exhaust port 40h. In the unlikely event that fuel gas leaks from the fuel tank 41 in the tank compartment 40, the leaked fuel gas passes through the tank compartment exhaust port 40h and travels toward the vent pipe 10. That is, the tank compartment exhaust port 40h is located at the most downstream side of the flow path through which the fuel gas flows when the fuel gas leaks in the tank compartment 40. Therefore, by disposing the tank compartment internal gas detector 44a at a position close to the tank compartment exhaust port 40h or inside the tank compartment exhaust port 40h, it is possible to improve the possibility of detecting the leaked fuel gas no matter where the fuel gas leaks in the tank compartment 40. That is, the tank compartment internal gas detector 44a may be configured to be located at the most downstream side of the flow path through which the fuel gas flows when the fuel gas leaks.

[0087] In detail, the tank compartment internal gas detector 44a is disposed in a detector housing chamber 404 (see FIG. 7) provided in the top wall 40a of the tank compartment 40. The detector housing chamber 404 is a convex portion protruding upward, and the tank compartment internal gas detector 44a is disposed inside the convex portion. The top wall 40a in which the detector housing chamber 404 is provided is the top wall located at the front end of the multiple top walls 40a arranged in the front-rear direction, and is the top wall farthest from the tank compartment air inlet 40g provided in the rear wall 40c. In this embodiment, the detector housing chamber 404 has an external shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, but the shape may be changed as appropriate. For example, the external shape of the detector housing chamber 404 may be cylindrical or the like.

[0088] The tank compartment exhaust port 40h is provided in the detector housing chamber 404. In detail, the tank compartment exhaust port 40h that opens upward is provided on the upper surface of the detector housing chamber 404. With this configuration, the tank compartment internal gas detector 44a can be disposed at a position where the airflow generated by the operation of the tank compartment air supply device 46 can surely pass through. This can further improve the possibility of detecting a fuel gas leak in the tank compartment 40. The position of the tank compartment exhaust port 40h provided in the detector housing chamber 404 may be changed as appropriate, and may be provided on a surface different from that in this embodiment. Also, a detector housing chamber having a configuration similar to that of the above-mentioned detector housing chamber 404 may be provided in a section other than the tank compartment 40.

[0089] The tank compartment 40 has a sealed space inside except for the tank compartment air inlet 40g and the tank compartment exhaust port 40h. That is, the tank compartment 40 is sealed except for the tank compartment air inlet 40g and the tank compartment exhaust port 40h. In other words, the tank compartment 40 is sealed except for the ventilation port that ventilates the inside of the compartment (its own compartment). Due to this sealed structure, in principle, air that has entered the tank compartment 40 from the tank compartment air inlet 40g by driving the tank compartment air supply device 46 is exhausted from the tank compartment 40 through the tank compartment exhaust port 40h. In order to ensure sealing, a sealant is appropriately placed in places where gaps may occur, as in the case of the fuel cell compartment 30. For example, a sealant is placed inside the tube portion 403 of the tank compartment 40 to fill gaps between the fuel gas supply pipe 32 and the gas filling pipe 42 and the inner circumferential surface of the tube portion 403.

[0090] In this embodiment, the fuel cell compartment 30 and the tank compartment 40, which include the fuel release source, are sealed except for the ventilation holes that ventilate the interior of each compartment, so that the area not including the fuel release source can be isolated from the area including the fuel release source, which reduces the possibility of fuel entering the area not including the fuel release source and causing a fire or explosion.

[0091] (3-3. Duct section) Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion of the cross section taken along line VIII-VIII in Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is a view showing a duct section 90 disposed on the left side of the hull 1 and the configuration of its surroundings. That is, the duct section 90 and the tank section 40 shown in Fig. 8 belong to the left (port side) section set of two section sets disposed on the right and left sides of the hull 1.

[0092] The duct section 90 is a container that houses various types of piping (see, for example, FIG. 2). As described above, the duct section 90 houses, for example, a portion of the fuel gas supply piping 32. Also, as described above, the duct section 90 includes a lower duct section 70 and an upper duct section 80. The interior of the lower duct section 70 and the interior of the upper duct section 80 are connected via a duct communication section 91 that extends vertically. The duct communication section 91 can be considered to be part of the duct section 90.

[0093] In this embodiment, specifically, there are two duct communication sections 91 that communicate between the lower duct section 70 and the upper duct section 80 (see Figs. 4 and 5). The number of duct communication sections 91 is not limited to two, and may be one, or three or more. Details of the lower duct section 70 and the upper duct section 80 will be described below.

[0094] 3-3-1. Lower duct section The lower duct section 70 is disposed below the deck 1a. Specifically, the lower duct section 70 is disposed in the engine room 13. Within the engine room 13, the lower duct section 70 is located aft of the fuel cell section 30. In other words, the lower duct section 70 is located below the deck 1a, between the fuel cell section 30 and the tank section 40 in the fore-and-aft direction. The lower duct section 70 accommodates a portion of the fuel gas supply piping 32 and also accommodates a portion of the gas fill piping 42.

[0095] As described above, the "part of the fuel gas supply piping 32" accommodated by the lower duct section 70 may be all or part of the portion of the fuel gas supply piping 32 located between the fuel cell section 30 and the tank section 40. Moreover, the "part of the gas fill piping 42" accommodated by the lower duct section 70 may be all or part of the portion of the gas fill piping 42 located between the tank section 40 and the upper duct section 80. In this embodiment, the lower duct section 70 accommodates a part of the portion of the gas fill piping 42 located between the tank section 40 and the upper duct section 80.

[0096] The lower duct section 70 has a hollow shape. The lower duct section 70 can be regarded as a container, a chamber, or a box that accommodates a part of the fuel gas supply pipe 32, etc. In this embodiment, the lower duct section 70 has a hollow, approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape. The outer walls that configure the lower duct section 70 include, for example, a top wall 70a, a bottom wall 70b, a rear wall 70c, a front wall 70d, a left wall 70e, and a right wall 70f (see, for example, Figures 2, 5, and 8). The shape of the lower duct section 70 is not particularly limited as long as it has a space that can accommodate a part of the fuel gas supply pipe 32, etc. The material of the lower duct section 70 is, for example, FRP, but may be an iron plate, etc. In addition, in this embodiment, the rear wall 70c of the lower duct section 70 is configured using the bulkhead W2 that separates the engine room 13 and the fuel room 14, but may be configured without using the bulkhead W2.

[0097] 2, the lower duct section 70 further accommodates a portion of a fuel gas discharge pipe 71. The fuel gas discharge pipe 71 is a pipe branched off from the fuel gas supply pipe 32 located inside the lower duct section 70. For example, the fuel gas discharge pipe 71 is branched off from the fuel gas supply pipe 32 between two shutoff valves SV.

[0098] More specifically, the fuel gas discharge pipe 71 is provided between the tank-side shutoff valve 43 in the tank compartment 40 and the fuel cell-side shutoff valve 33 in the fuel cell compartment 30, branching off from the fuel gas supply pipe 32. The fuel gas discharge pipe 71 extends from the inside of the lower duct compartment 70 to the inside of the upper duct compartment 80 via a lower duct compartment communication port 70h and a duct communication section 91, which will be described later, and further communicates with the inside of the vent pipe 10. Therefore, the "part of the fuel gas discharge pipe 71" accommodated in the lower duct compartment 70 may be the whole or a part of the part of the fuel gas discharge pipe 71 located between the branching part with the fuel gas supply pipe 32 and the upper duct compartment 80. In this embodiment, the lower duct compartment 70 accommodates a part of the part of the fuel gas discharge pipe 71 located between the branching part with the fuel gas supply pipe 32 and the upper duct compartment 80. 2, the portion of the fuel gas discharge pipe 71 that merges with the inside of the vent pipe 10 is preferably such that the fuel gas is discharged toward the open port side (tip side) of the vent pipe 10. This configuration can prevent the fuel gas discharged from the fuel gas discharge pipe 71 into the vent pipe 10 from flowing toward the tank compartment 40. As a result, it can prevent the fuel gas discharged from the fuel gas discharge pipe 71 into the vent pipe 10 from being erroneously detected by the tank compartment internal gas detector 44a in the tank compartment 40.

[0099] The lower duct section 70 further accommodates a release valve 72. That is, the duct section 90 accommodates the release valve 72. The release valve 72 is installed in the fuel gas discharge pipe 71 and is an opening / closing valve that opens or closes the flow path of the fuel gas discharge pipe 71. The opening and closing of the release valve 72 is controlled by the control unit 12a. Note that the release valve 72 may be installed in the upper duct section 80.

[0100] In this way, when the shut-off valve SV installed in the tank compartment 40 is the tank side shut-off valve 43 and the shut-off valve SV installed in the fuel cell compartment 30 is the fuel cell side shut-off valve 33, the fuel cell ship SH further includes a fuel gas exhaust pipe 71 branched off from the fuel gas supply pipe 32 between the tank side shut-off valve 43 and the fuel cell side shut-off valve 33, and a release valve 72 installed in the fuel gas exhaust pipe 71.

[0101] The lower duct section 70 further houses a lower duct section internal gas detector 73. The lower duct section internal gas detector 73 is a fuel gas detector disposed inside the lower duct section 70. For example, when the fuel gas is hydrogen gas, the lower duct section internal gas detector 73 is configured with a hydrogen gas detection sensor.

[0102] The lower duct section internal gas detector 73 is disposed on the inner surface of the top wall 70a located at the upper part of the lower duct section 70. Hydrogen gas as fuel gas is lighter than air and rises. Therefore, by disposing the lower duct section internal gas detector 73 on the top wall 70a of the lower duct section 70, even if fuel gas leaks inside the lower duct section 70, the leaked fuel gas can be properly detected by the lower duct section internal gas detector 73.

[0103] When the lower duct section internal gas detector 73 detects fuel gas in the lower duct section 70, the detection signal is sent from the lower duct section internal gas detector 73 to the control unit 12a. As a result, the control unit 12a can control the shutoff valve SV provided in the fuel gas supply pipe 32 to stop the supply of fuel gas from the fuel tank 41 to the fuel cell 31.

[0104] 2, a lower duct section air intake 70g is provided in the bottom wall 70b of the lower duct section 70. The lower duct section air intake 70g includes an opening penetrating in the vertical direction. The lower duct section air intake 70g is connected to a duct section air intake pipe 74, which will be described later. The lower duct section air intake 70g may be provided in an outer wall of the lower duct section 70 other than the bottom wall 70b.

[0105] A lower duct section communication port 70h is provided in the top wall 70a of the lower duct section 70. The lower duct section communication port 70h includes an opening penetrating in the vertical direction. The lower duct section communication port 70h communicates with the above-mentioned duct communication portion 91. Note that the lower duct section communication port 70h may be provided in an outer wall of the lower duct section 70 other than the top wall 70a.

[0106] Furthermore, a battery compartment communication port 70i is provided in the front wall 70d of the lower duct section 70. The battery compartment communication port 70i includes an opening that penetrates in the front-rear direction. The battery compartment communication port 70i is connected to the battery compartment exhaust port 30h of the fuel cell section 30 described above via a communication pipe 92 that extends in the front-rear direction. As a result, when the battery compartment air supply device 36 is driven, air inside the fuel cell section 30 flows into the lower duct section 70 via the battery compartment exhaust port 30h, the communication pipe 92, and the battery compartment communication port 70i. Note that the battery compartment communication port 70i may be provided in an outer wall of the lower duct section 70 other than the front wall 70d.

[0107] In this embodiment, the fuel gas supply piping 32 passes through the communicating pipe 92. In other words, the communicating pipe 92 is disposed outside the fuel gas supply piping 32 and constitutes a double pipe together with the fuel gas supply piping 32. In other words, the fuel cell ship SH further includes an outer pipe that is disposed outside the fuel supply piping and constitutes a double pipe together with the fuel supply piping. By employing a double pipe in which the fuel supply piping is surrounded by the outer pipe, the possibility of fuel entering the engine room 13 can be reduced even if a fuel leak occurs in the fuel supply piping.

[0108] The front end of the communication pipe 92 is connected to the fuel cell compartment 30, surrounding the battery compartment exhaust port 30h provided in the fuel cell compartment 30. That is, one end of the outer pipe constituting the double pipe is connected to the fuel cell compartment, surrounding the exhaust ventilation port of the fuel cell compartment. With this configuration, the double pipe structure provided for ensuring safety can be effectively used as an exhaust path for ventilation of the fuel cell compartment.

[0109] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the rear end of the communication pipe 92 surrounds the battery compartment communication port 70i provided in the lower duct compartment 70 and is connected to the lower duct compartment 70. For this reason, the lower duct compartment 70 and the fuel cell compartment 30 communicate with each other via the communication pipe 92. That is, the duct compartment and the fuel cell compartment communicate with each other via an outer pipe that constitutes a double pipe. For this reason, exhaust air for ventilation of the fuel cell compartment can be sent into the inside of the duct compartment and released to the outside together with the exhaust air for ventilation of the duct compartment. That is, the exhaust path for ventilation in the fuel cell ship SH can be configured compactly.

[0110] It is preferable that the fuel gas supply pipe 32 constituting the inner pipe of the double pipe and the communicating pipe 92 constituting the outer pipe are made of materials having the same pressure resistance. For example, when the fuel gas supply pipe 32 is made of stainless steel, it is preferable that the communicating pipe 92 is also made of stainless steel. However, for example, in a case where a structure is adopted that prevents the outer pipe from bursting even if fuel gas leaks from the inner pipe and allows the fuel gas to escape safely to the outside of the fuel cell ship SH, the outer pipe may have a lower pressure resistance than the inner pipe. In this embodiment, since this structure is adopted, the fuel gas supply pipe 32 is made of stainless steel and the communicating pipe 92 is made of FRP.

[0111] A duct section air supply pipe 74 is connected to the lower duct section 70 (see, for example, Figures 2 and 8). The duct section air supply pipe 74 extends from a lower duct section air supply port 70g of the lower duct section 70 to the deck 1a and is exposed above the deck 1a. A duct section air supply device 75 and a duct section external gas detector 76 are disposed at the end of the duct section air supply pipe 74 on the deck 1a side. The duct section air supply device 75 and the duct section external gas detector 76 are disposed on the upper part of the deck 1a.

[0112] The duct section air supply device 75 supplies air (outside the ship air in this example) outside the lower duct section 70 (duct section 90) to the inside of the lower duct section 70 via the duct section air supply pipe 74 and the lower duct section air supply port 70g. By supplying air outside the lower duct section 70, the air inside the lower duct section 70 is exhausted to the upper duct section 80 via the lower duct section communication port 70h and the duct communication section 91. This ventilates the inside of the lower duct section 70. As a result, even if fuel gas leaks from piping such as the fuel gas supply piping 32 inside the lower duct section 70, the stagnation of the fuel gas can be suppressed.

[0113] The duct compartment air supply system 75 is configured, for example, by an inexpensive non-explosion-proof air supply fan, but may also be configured by an explosion-proof air supply fan. The operation of the duct compartment air supply system 75 is controlled by the control unit 12a. Like the above-mentioned battery compartment air supply system 36, the duct compartment air supply system 75 is housed in an air supply system casing BO3 (see, for example, Figures 3 and 5) that is fixedly disposed on the deck 1a. In addition, a filter unit FP3 similar to that in the case of the above-mentioned battery compartment air supply system 36 is connected to the air supply system casing BO3 that houses the duct compartment air supply system 75.

[0114] The duct section external gas detector 76 detects combustible gas (e.g., hydrogen gas floating around the hull 1) flowing from the outside of the duct section 90 to the inside. The duct section external gas detector 76 is a combustible gas sensor such as a hydrogen gas sensor. The duct section external gas detector 76 is disposed on the opposite side of the duct section air supply device 75 from the duct section air supply pipe 74, that is, on the upstream side of the air flow from the outside of the duct section 90 to the inside. The duct section external gas detector 76 may be configured as a gas sensor that detects combustible gases other than hydrogen gas.

[0115] The duct section external gas detector 76 outputs a detection signal indicating, for example, the concentration of combustible gas to the control unit 12a. This allows the control unit 12a to determine whether the concentration of combustible gas is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold based on the detection signal. If the concentration is equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold, the control unit 12a can control the shutoff valve SV to stop the supply of fuel gas from the fuel tank 41 to the fuel cell 31. The predetermined threshold may be determined based on experiments and / or experience.

[0116] The lower duct section internal gas detector 73 is disposed in the top wall 70a located at the upper part of the lower duct section 70, at a position close to the lower duct section communication port 70h or inside the lower duct section communication port 70h. In the unlikely event that fuel gas leaks from the fuel gas supply pipe 32 or the like in the lower duct section 70, the leaked fuel gas passes through the lower duct section communication port 70h and travels toward the upper duct section 80. In other words, the lower duct section communication port 70h is located at the most downstream side of the flow path through which the fuel gas flows when the fuel gas leaks in the lower duct section 70. Therefore, by disposing the lower duct section internal gas detector 73 in a position close to the lower duct section communication port 70h or inside the lower duct section communication port 70h, the possibility of detecting the leaked fuel gas can be improved regardless of the position at which the fuel gas leaks in the lower duct section 70.

[0117] The lower duct section 70 has an internal space that is sealed except for the lower duct section air inlet 70g, the lower duct section communication port 70h, and the battery section communication port 70i. That is, the lower duct section 70 is sealed except for the lower duct section air inlet 70g, the lower duct section communication port 70h, and the battery section communication port 70i. Due to this sealed structure, in principle, when the duct section air supply device 75 and the battery section air supply device 36 are operating, air that has entered the lower duct section 70 from the lower duct section air inlet 70g and the battery section communication port 70i is exhausted from the lower duct section 70 through the lower duct section communication port 70h. To ensure sealing, a sealant is appropriately placed in places where gaps may occur.

[0118] 3-3-2. Upper Duct Section The upper duct section 80 is disposed on the upper part of the deck 1a. Specifically, the upper duct section 80 is disposed on the deck 1a, spanning from the lower duct section 70 to the tank section 40. In this embodiment, the upper duct section 80 is disposed aft of the cabin 2, and is configured using members that configure the cabin 2. In other words, it can be said that the upper duct section 80 is a part of the cabin 2. The upper duct section 80 accommodates a part of the fuel gas discharge piping 71 and also accommodates a part of the gas fill piping 42.

[0119] In this embodiment, the "part of the fuel gas discharge piping 71" accommodated in the upper duct section 80 is the portion of the fuel gas discharge piping 71 that extends from the upper end of the duct communication section 91 to the vent pipe 10. The "part of the gas filling piping 42" accommodated in the upper duct section 80 is the portion of the gas filling piping 42 that extends from the fuel gas filling port 82 provided in the upper duct section 80 to the duct communication section 91. The duct communication section 91 constitutes a double pipe together with the fuel gas discharge piping 71 and the gas filling piping 42. This makes it possible to prevent the fuel gas from entering the engine room 13 even if a fuel gas leak occurs in the fuel gas discharge piping 71 or the gas filling piping 42. The duct communication section 91 is made of, for example, FRP or stainless steel.

[0120] The upper duct section 80 has a hollow shape. The upper duct section 80 can be regarded as a container, a chamber, or a box that accommodates a part of the fuel gas discharge pipe 71, etc. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 8, the outer walls constituting the upper duct section 80 include, for example, a top wall 80a, a bottom wall 80b, a rear wall 80c, a front wall 80d, a left wall (not shown), and a right wall (not shown). In detail, the rear wall 80c has an inclined structure that is located rearward as it goes downward. More specifically, the rear wall 80c is composed of a plurality of inclined parts with different inclination angles, and the plurality of inclined parts have a structure in which the upper side has a larger inclination than the lower side. The material of the upper duct section 80 is, for example, FRP, but may be an iron plate, etc. In addition, the shape of the upper duct section 80 is not particularly limited as long as it has a space that can accommodate a part of the fuel gas discharge pipe 71, etc.

[0121] 2, the upper duct section 80 is provided with a fuel gas filling port 82 and a fuel gas check valve 83. The fuel gas filling port 82 is connected to the gas filling piping 42. The fuel gas check valve 83 is provided in the gas filling piping 42. More specifically, the fuel gas check valve 83 is located between the fuel gas filling port 82 and a branch point between the gas filling piping 42 and an inert gas piping 87 described below.

[0122] When fuel gas is supplied from the fuel gas filling port 82, the fuel gas passes through the gas filling pipe 42 via the fuel gas check valve 83 and is supplied to the fuel tank 41 in the tank compartment 40. In this way, the fuel tank 41 is filled with fuel gas and stored therein. The fuel gas check valve 83 is provided to prevent the backflow of fuel gas from the fuel tank 41 to the fuel gas filling port 82.

[0123] The upper duct section 80 is further provided with an inert gas filling port 84, an on-off valve 85, an inert gas check valve 86, and an inert gas piping 87. The inert gas filling port 84 is connected to the inert gas piping 87. The inert gas piping 87 is provided within the upper duct section 80 and branches off from the gas filling piping 42. The on-off valve 85 and the inert gas check valve 86 are provided in the inert gas piping 87. In the inert gas piping 87, the on-off valve 85 is located between the inert gas filling port 84 and the inert gas check valve 86.

[0124] The on-off valve 85 opens or closes the flow path of the inert gas pipe 87. In a configuration in which the inert gas check valve 86 is provided in the inert gas pipe 87, the installation of the on-off valve 85 may be omitted.

[0125] When inert gas is supplied to the inert gas filling port 84 in a state where fuel gas is not supplied to the fuel gas filling port 82, and the on-off valve 85 opens the flow path of the inert gas piping 87, the inert gas passes through the inert gas check valve 86 and is supplied to the fuel tank 41 in the tank section 40 via the inert gas piping 87 and the gas filling piping 42. In addition, the tank side shutoff valve 43 opens the flow path of the fuel gas supply piping 32, the fuel cell side shutoff valve 33 closes the flow path of the fuel gas supply piping 32, and the release valve 72 opens the flow path of the fuel gas exhaust piping 71, so that the fuel gas remaining in the fuel tank 41 is discharged to the vent pipe 10 via the fuel gas supply piping 32 and the fuel gas exhaust piping 71. This makes it possible to remove the fuel gas from the fuel tank 41 (purging process). Note that there may be a piping that is directly connected from the gas filling piping 42 to the fuel gas supply piping 32 between the fuel tank 41 and the tank side shutoff valve 43 (tank type). In this configuration, when purging the fuel tank 41 of inert gas, the fuel tank 41 is filled with inert gas with the tank-side shut-off valve 43 closed, and then the tank-side shut-off valve 43 must be opened to facilitate the release of the inert gas from the fuel tank 41.

[0126] Also housed within the upper duct section 80 is an upper duct section internal gas detector 88. The upper duct section internal gas detector 88 is a fuel gas detector disposed within the upper duct section 80. For example, when the fuel gas is hydrogen gas, the upper duct section internal gas detector 88 is configured with a hydrogen gas detection sensor.

[0127] The upper duct section internal gas detector 88 is disposed on the top wall 80a located at the upper part of the upper duct section 80. Hydrogen gas as fuel gas is lighter than air and rises. Therefore, even if fuel gas leaks inside the upper duct section 80, the leaked fuel gas can be appropriately detected by the upper duct section internal gas detector 88.

[0128] When the upper duct section internal gas detector 88 detects fuel gas in the upper duct section 80, a detection signal is sent from the upper duct section internal gas detector 88 to the control unit 12a. As a result, the control unit 12a can control the shutoff valve SV provided in the fuel gas supply pipe 32 to stop the supply of fuel gas from the fuel tank 41 to the fuel cell 31.

[0129] An upper duct section air inlet 80g is provided in the bottom wall 80b of the upper duct section 80. The upper duct section air inlet 80g is configured to include an opening penetrating in the vertical direction. The upper duct section air inlet 80g communicates with the duct communication section 91. Therefore, the upper duct section 80 communicates with the lower duct section 70 via the upper duct section air inlet 80g, the duct communication section 91, and the lower duct communication port 70h. Note that the upper duct section air inlet 80g may be provided in an outer wall of the upper duct section 80 other than the bottom wall 80b.

[0130] An upper duct section exhaust port 80h is provided in the rear wall 80c of the upper duct section 80 near the boundary with the top wall 80a. The upper duct section exhaust port 80h includes an opening penetrating the rear wall 80c. The upper duct section exhaust port 80h communicates with a vent pipe communication section 81. The vent pipe communication section 81 is a pipe. The interior of the upper duct section 80 communicates with the vent pipe 10 via the upper duct section exhaust port 80h and the vent pipe communication section 81. In other words, the vent pipe communication section 81 is a pipe that communicates between the interior of the upper duct section 80 and the vent pipe 10.

[0131] The vent pipe 10 extends upward from the tank section 40 and passes through the interior of the upper duct section 80. More specifically, the vent pipe 10 penetrates the bottom wall 80b of the upper duct section 80, enters the interior of the upper duct section 80, and passes through the rear wall 80c.

[0132] When the duct section air supply device 75 is operating, the air inside the upper duct section 80 is discharged outside the ship via the vent pipe communication part 81 and the vent pipe 10. This makes it possible to ventilate the inside of the upper duct section 80. Furthermore, even if fuel gas leaks from the fuel gas discharge piping 71 inside the upper duct section 80, the leaked fuel gas is discharged outside the ship via the vent pipe communication part 81 and the vent pipe 10. This makes it possible to prevent the leaked fuel gas from accumulating inside the upper duct section 80.

[0133] Furthermore, the upper duct section 80 and the lower duct section 70 are connected via a duct communication section 91. This allows (1) air taken into the lower duct section 70 via the duct section air supply pipe 74, (2) fuel gas that has leaked from the fuel gas supply piping 32 in the lower duct section 70 for some reason, and (3) air or fuel gas discharged from the fuel cell section 30 to the lower duct section 70 via the communication pipe 92 to be discharged outside the ship via the upper duct section 80 and the vent pipe 10. This makes it possible to suppress the accumulation of fuel gas inside the lower duct section 70 and the fuel cell section 30.

[0134] The upper duct section internal gas detector 88 is disposed at a position close to the upper duct section exhaust port 80h or inside the upper duct section exhaust port 80h. In the unlikely event that fuel gas leaks from the fuel gas discharge pipe 71 or the gas filling pipe 42 in the upper duct section 80, the leaked fuel gas passes through the upper duct section exhaust port 80h and travels toward the vent pipe 10. That is, the upper duct section exhaust port 80h is located at the most downstream side of the flow path through which the fuel gas flows when the fuel gas leaks in the upper duct section 80. Therefore, by disposing the upper duct section internal gas detector 88 at a position close to the upper duct section exhaust port 80h or inside the upper duct section exhaust port 80h, the leaked fuel gas can be detected no matter where the fuel gas leaks in the upper duct section 80. In the present embodiment, as a preferred embodiment, the upper duct section internal gas detector 88 is disposed at a position where hydrogen gas remaining on the top plate of the upper duct section 80 can be detected. This makes it possible to quickly detect hydrogen gas leakage even in a state where there is no airflow for ventilation.

[0135] The upper duct section 80 has an internal space that is sealed except for the upper duct section air inlet 80g and the upper duct section exhaust port 80h. That is, the upper duct section 80 is sealed except for the upper duct section air inlet 80g and the upper duct section exhaust port 80h. Due to this sealed structure, in principle, when the duct section air supply device 75 and the battery section air supply device 36 are operating, air that has entered the upper duct section 80 from the upper duct section air inlet 80g is exhausted from the upper duct section 80 through the upper duct section exhaust port 80h. To ensure sealing, a sealant is appropriately placed in places where gaps may occur.

[0136] As can be seen from the above description, the duct section 90 is sealed except for the ventilation openings for ventilating the interior of that section (its own section). In addition to the fuel cell section 30 and the tank section 40, the duct section including the fuel release source is also sealed except for the ventilation openings for ventilating the interior, which further reduces the possibility of fuel entering an area not including a fuel release source and causing a fire or explosion.

[0137] [4. Supplementary information on safety measures using detectors] The fuel cell ship SH is provided with a first detector that is disposed within the compartment and detects fuel. When the first detector detects that the concentration of fuel within the compartment is equal to or greater than a first threshold, the power supply to non-explosion-proof equipment within the compartment is stopped. With this configuration, even if non-explosion-proof equipment is disposed within the compartment that includes a fuel release source, the possibility of an explosion or fire occurring within the compartment can be reduced.

[0138] In this embodiment, the first detector includes a fuel cell compartment internal gas detector 34a that is arranged inside the fuel cell compartment 30. That is, the compartment in which the first detector is arranged includes the fuel cell compartment 30 in which the fuel cell 31 is arranged. As a result, in the fuel cell ship SH, the occurrence of an explosion or fire in the fuel cell compartment 30 can be suppressed, and the fuel cell system 3 can be protected.

[0139] In this embodiment, the first detector further includes a tank compartment internal gas detector 44a disposed in the tank compartment 40, a lower duct compartment internal gas detector 73 disposed in the lower duct compartment 70, and an upper duct compartment internal gas detector 88 disposed in the upper duct compartment 80. In other words, the compartments in which the first detector is disposed further include the tank compartment 40, the lower duct compartment 70, and the upper duct compartment 80.

[0140] Non-explosion-proof equipment is an electric machine or device that does not comply with a predetermined explosion-proof structure standard. The non-explosion-proof equipment is included in the above-mentioned auxiliary equipment 11. In this embodiment, for example, the DC / DC converter 311 arranged in the fuel cell compartment 30, the valve assembly (not shown) attached to the fuel tank 41 arranged in the tank compartment 40, and the like can be mentioned. Also, for example, when the shutoff valve SV and the release valve 72 are solenoid valves that do not have an explosion-proof structure, they correspond to non-explosion-proof equipment.

[0141] In addition, the first detectors 34a, 44a, 73, and 88 are preferably configured as explosion-proof devices. By configuring them in this way, the first detectors 34a, 44a, 73, and 88 can continue to operate even after a fuel gas leak, and appropriate measures can be taken according to the concentration of fuel gas in the compartment.

[0142] Specifically, the power supply is stopped by the control unit 12a. The control unit 12a is provided so as to be able to acquire the concentration of fuel gas in the compartment 30, 40, 70, 80 based on the signal input from the first detector 34a, 44a, 73, 88. When the acquired concentration of fuel gas in the compartment is equal to or higher than the first threshold, the control unit 12a stops the power supply to the non-explosion-proof equipment in the compartment. That is, when the concentration of fuel gas in the compartment is equal to or higher than the first threshold, the non-explosion-proof equipment is turned off. Since the power supply is stopped, it is possible to prevent the non-explosion-proof equipment from becoming an ignition source. Note that, when there are multiple non-explosion-proof equipment in the compartment, the control unit 12a stops the power supply to all non-explosion-proof equipment in the compartment.

[0143] The first threshold is a predetermined threshold and may be determined by an experiment or the like. The first threshold is, for example, 40% of the lower explosive limit (LEL) of the fuel gas. The first threshold may be the same as or different from the predetermined threshold for determining whether to open or close the shutoff valve SV or the release valve 72 described above. Furthermore, when there are multiple compartments, the same first threshold value may be set for all the compartments. However, in some cases, a different first threshold value may be set for each compartment.

[0144] The fuel cell ship SH may be configured such that, when the fuel concentration in one of the compartments is equal to or higher than the first threshold, the power supply to non-explosion-proof equipment in other compartments connected to the compartment via the ventilation path is stopped. With this configuration, safety measures can be quickly taken in compartments where the fuel concentration may be high, further reducing the possibility of explosions and fires.

[0145] As another example, the fuel cell ship SH may be configured such that when the fuel concentration in any one of the compartments is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the power supply to non-explosion-proof devices in all other compartments except for that compartment is stopped. With this configuration, even in the event of an unexpected incident, the possibility of an explosion or fire can be reduced, further improving safety.

[0146] In this embodiment, the fuel cell compartment 30, the tank compartment 40, and the duct compartment 90 (the lower duct compartment 70 and the upper duct compartment 80) are connected to one another via ventilation paths. As a preferred form from a safety standpoint, when the concentration of fuel gas in any of the fuel cell compartment 30, the tank compartment 40, and the duct compartment 90 becomes equal to or higher than a first threshold value, the power supply to the non-explosion-proof devices in all of the compartments 30, 40, and 90 is stopped.

[0147] As described above, the fuel cell ship SH further includes a ventilation device used for ventilating the interior of the compartment including the fuel release source. As a result, even if fuel leaks within the compartment, the fuel can be quickly ventilated and removed from the compartment. In this embodiment, specifically, ventilation devices 36, 46, 75 are provided independently for each of the fuel cell compartment 30, the tank compartment 40, and the duct compartment 90. As a result, a sufficient flow rate of air required for ventilation can be ensured for each of the compartments 30, 40, 90 including the fuel release source. In other words, each compartment can be appropriately ventilated.

[0148] As described above, each of the ventilation devices 36, 46, 75 is an air supply device that supplies air to each of the sections 30, 40, 90. In other words, the ventilation devices 36, 46, 75 are of a push-in type. For this reason, the ventilation devices 36, 46, 75 are disposed on the upstream side of the air flow when ventilating the sections 30, 40, 90, and it is possible to prevent the fuel gas discharged from the fuel discharge source in the sections 30, 40, 90 from passing through the ventilation device. In other words, it is possible to prevent the fuel gas from igniting or exploding due to the fuel gas passing through the ventilation device (for example, due to an electric spark in the ventilation device).

[0149] As described above, in this embodiment, the second detector for detecting fuel is disposed around the ventilators 36, 46, 75. By configuring in this manner, the push-in type ventilator can be an inexpensive non-explosion-proof ventilator. In this embodiment, the second detector includes the battery compartment external gas detector 37 disposed around the battery compartment air supply device 36, the tank compartment external gas detector 47 disposed around the tank compartment air supply device 46, and the duct compartment external gas detector 76 disposed around the duct compartment air supply device 75.

[0150] The ventilation devices 36, 46, 75 are stopped when the second detectors 37, 47, 76 detect a fuel concentration equal to or greater than the second threshold. With this configuration, it is possible to easily prevent fuel gas from passing through the ventilation devices 36, 46, 75 in a situation where an explosion or the like is likely to occur. In other words, even if the ventilation devices 36, 46, 75 are inexpensive non-explosion-proof ventilation devices, it is possible to reduce the possibility of a fire or explosion occurring.

[0151] In this embodiment, the ventilator 36, 46, 75 is stopped by the control unit 12a. The control unit 12a is provided so as to be able to acquire the concentration of fuel gas around the ventilator 36, 46, 75 based on the signal input from the second detector 37, 47, 76. When the acquired concentration of fuel gas is equal to or greater than the second threshold, the control unit 12a stops the operation of the ventilator near the second detector that detected the fuel gas concentration equal to or greater than the second threshold. In detail, when the fuel gas equal to or greater than the second threshold is detected using the battery compartment external gas detector (second detector) 37, the battery compartment air supply device (ventilator) 36 is stopped. When the fuel gas equal to or greater than the second threshold is detected using the tank compartment external gas detector (second detector) 47, the tank compartment air supply device (ventilator) 46 is stopped. When fuel gas equal to or greater than the second threshold is detected using the duct section external gas detector (second detector) 76, the duct section air supply system (ventilator) 75 is shut off.

[0152] The second threshold is a predetermined threshold and may be determined by an experiment or the like. The second threshold is, for example, 40% of the lower explosive limit (LEL) of the fuel gas. The second threshold may be the same as the first threshold described above, or may be different. When there are multiple ventilation devices, the same second threshold value may be set for all the ventilation devices. However, in some cases, a different second threshold value may be set for each ventilation device.

[0153] The ventilation devices 36, 46, 75 operate continuously when the second detectors 37, 47, 76 detect no abnormality in the fuel gas concentration during operation of the fuel cell system 3 including the fuel cell 31. Therefore, even if a fuel gas leak occurs, the fuel gas in the compartments 30, 40, 90 can be appropriately removed.

[0154] 9 is a flowchart showing an example of control at the time of starting up the ventilation device 36. In this embodiment, the control of the start-up of the ventilation device 36 is performed by the control unit 12a. The other ventilation devices 46, 75 are also controlled in the same manner as the ventilation device 36. For this reason, the case of the ventilation device 36 will be described as a representative example.

[0155] In step S1, the control unit 12a monitors the power state of the second detector 37. When the control unit 12a confirms that the power of the second detector 37 is turned on (Yes in step S1), the control unit 12a advances the process to the next step S2.

[0156] In step S2, the control unit 12a checks whether the concentration of the fuel gas detected by the second detector 37 is less than the second threshold. If the concentration of the fuel gas is less than the second threshold (Yes in step S2), the control unit 12a proceeds to the next step S3. If the concentration of the fuel gas is equal to or greater than the second threshold (No in step S2), the control unit 12a proceeds to step S4.

[0157] In step S3, the control unit 12a starts the ventilation device 36. When the ventilation device 36 is started, the fuel cell 31 is started. That is, when the fuel cell 31 is operating, the ventilation device 36 is also operating.

[0158] In step S4, the control unit 12a detects an error state in which the ventilation device 36 cannot be started. In this case, the ventilation device 36 is not started. For example, the control unit 12a performs a process of notifying the crew of the error state. Note that the notification means may be, for example, a screen display, a sound, light emission, vibration, or the like.

[0159] As described above, the start of the ventilation device 36 requires that the second detector 37 is powered on. The ventilation device 36 will not start when the second detector 37 is powered off. This makes it possible to prevent the ventilation device 36 from being started when the concentration of fuel gas around the ventilation device 36 is high.

[0160] The ventilation device 36 may be stopped when the fuel cell system 3 is stopped. In this case, it is preferable that the power supply to the ventilation device 36 is stopped not simultaneously with the fuel cell system 3 being stopped, but after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the fuel cell system 3 is stopped. This configuration can reduce the possibility that fuel gas will be stagnant in the fuel cell compartment 30. The predetermined period of time may be, for example, several seconds to several tens of seconds. The stop control of the ventilation device 36 may also be applied to the other ventilation devices 46, 75 in the same manner.

[0161] [5. Points to note] Various technical features disclosed in this specification may be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the technical creation. Furthermore, multiple embodiments and modifications shown in this specification may be combined to the extent possible. [Explanation of symbols]

[0162] 1. Hull 3. Fuel Cell System 30... Fuel cell compartment 31...fuel cell 34a: Fuel cell compartment internal gas detector (first detector) 36 Battery compartment air supply device (ventilation device) 37 Battery compartment external gas detector (second detector) 40. Tank section 44a Tank compartment internal gas detector (first detector) 46 Tank compartment air supply system (ventilation system) 47 Tank compartment external gas detector (second detector) 70 Lower duct section 73 Lower duct section internal gas detector (first detector) 75 Duct compartment air supply device (ventilation device) 76 Duct section external gas detector (second detector) 80...Upper duct section 88···Upper duct section internal gas detector (first detector) 90...Duct section 311···DC / DC converter (non-explosion-proof equipment) SH...Fuel cell ship

Claims

1. A fuel cell ship that propels a hull using electricity supplied from a fuel cell that generates electricity through an electrochemical reaction of fuel, a compartment containing a release source of said fuel; a first detector disposed within the compartment for detecting the fuel; A ventilation device used for ventilation inside the compartment; a second detector disposed around the ventilation device and configured to detect the fuel; Equipped with When the first detector detects that the concentration of the fuel in the compartment is equal to or greater than a first threshold, stopping the supply of power to non-explosion-proof equipment in the compartment; A fuel cell ship, wherein the ventilation device is activated when the power of the second detector is on.

2. There are a plurality of the compartments, The fuel cell ship according to claim 1 , wherein, when the concentration of the fuel in any one of the compartments is equal to or higher than the first threshold value, power supply to non-explosion-proof equipment in other compartments connected to the compartment via a ventilation path is stopped.

3. There are a plurality of the compartments, The fuel cell ship according to claim 1 , wherein, when the concentration of the fuel in any one of the compartments is equal to or higher than the first threshold, power supply to non-explosion-proof equipment in all of the remaining compartments except for that compartment is stopped.

4. 4. The fuel cell ship according to claim 1, wherein the ventilation device is of a forced-in type.

5. The fuel cell ship according to claim 1 , wherein the ventilation device is stopped when the second detector detects a concentration of the fuel equal to or higher than a second threshold value.

6. The fuel cell ship according to claim 1 , wherein the compartments include a fuel cell compartment in which the fuel cell is installed.

7. A fuel cell system including a fuel cell that generates electricity through an electrochemical reaction of a fuel, a compartment containing a release source of said fuel; a first detector disposed within the compartment for detecting the fuel; A ventilation device used for ventilation inside the compartment; a second detector disposed around the ventilation device and configured to detect the fuel; Equipped with When the first detector detects that the concentration of the fuel in the compartment is equal to or greater than a first threshold, stopping the supply of power to non-explosion-proof equipment in the compartment; The ventilator is activated when the power supply of the second detector is on.

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