Fuel supply device and power generating system

Abstract

To enable a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas (second gas) to be continuously supplied to a fuel cell unit.SOLUTION: A control unit 23 controls electronic expansion valves 13a, 13b and a four-way valve 14 to cause one of heat exchangers 12 to function as a condenser as a hot heat source, and any of the other heat exchangers 12 to function as an evaporator as a cold heat source; controls fans 15a to 15c to cause air, which is exchanged heat in the condenser, to flow toward a canister C for releasing hydrogen gas G to heat the canister C, and to cause air, which is exchanged heat in the evaporator, to flow toward the canister C, into which hydrogen gas G flows, to cool the canister C; and further performs processing of reducing the air flow rate from any of the other heat exchangers 12 to be lower than the air flow rate from the two heat exchangers 12, 12 functioning as a condenser and evaporator, corresponding to the control modes of opening / closing valves 21a to 21c, 22a to 22c.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fuel supply device configured to be capable of supplying a second gas containing hydrogen to a fuel cell unit, and to a power generation system configured to generate power by including such a fuel supply device and a fuel cell unit. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, the following patent document discloses a fuel cell configured to generate electricity by reacting outside air (oxygen) with fuel (hydrogen) in a power generation section. In this fuel cell, a hydrogen storage alloy is accommodated in a fuel tank, and hydrogen released from the hydrogen storage alloy is reacted with oxygen in the outside air to generate electricity. In this case, when hydrogen is released from the hydrogen storage alloy, the temperature of the hydrogen storage alloy (fuel tank) is lowered by an endothermic reaction. It is also known that the hydrogen release rate (amount released per unit time) of the hydrogen storage alloy is lowered by a decrease in temperature. Therefore, in order to continuously supply a sufficient amount of hydrogen required for power generation from the fuel tank to the power generation section, it is necessary to prevent the temperature of the fuel tank from decreasing and to maintain a temperature at which hydrogen can be suitably released from the hydrogen storage alloy.

[0003] Therefore, this fuel cell adopts a configuration in which the fuel tank is heated using heat generated in the power generation unit by the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to maintain a suitable temperature. Specifically, this fuel cell is configured to include a fixed heat connection member fixed to the fuel tank, an external heat dissipation unit for dissipating heat from the power generation unit to the outside, and a movable heat connection member for selectively transferring heat from the power generation unit to either the fixed heat connection member or the external heat dissipation unit. This fuel cell also adopts a configuration in which the movable heat connection member is constantly in contact with the power generation unit, and the movable heat connection member is moved by a drive unit including a shape memory alloy spring whose shape is deformed by temperature and a bias spring to bring the movable heat connection member into contact with either the fixed heat connection member or the external heat dissipation unit.

[0004] More specifically, in this fuel cell, the movable thermal connection member is moved by the driving unit to thermally connect the power generation unit and the fixed thermal connection member via the movable thermal connection member, so that heat generated in the power generation unit is transferred to the fuel tank, whereby the hydrogen storage alloy is heated and a temperature at which the required hydrogen can be released is maintained. Also, in this fuel cell, the movable thermal connection member is moved by the driving unit to thermally connect the power generation unit and the external heat dissipation unit via the movable thermal connection member, so that heat generated in the power generation unit is not transferred to the fuel tank but is released from the external heat dissipation unit, making it possible to prevent an excessive temperature rise in the fuel tank. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-080587 A (Pages 5-18, Figures 1-10C) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the fuel cell disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document has the following problems to be solved: In other words, the fuel cell disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document employs a configuration in which the heat generated in the power generation section is used to heat the fuel tank in order to avoid a decrease in the amount of hydrogen released per unit time from the fuel tank (hydrogen storage alloy) that accompanies a temperature drop caused by an endothermic reaction.

[0007] Meanwhile, the applicant has prototyped a power generation system that includes multiple hydrogen gas storage units (fuel tanks) and can supply hydrogen gas from one of the storage units to a fuel cell unit (power generation unit) that is generating electricity, while allowing hydrogen gas generated by a hydrogen gas generator to flow into one of the other storage units for storage. With this power generation system, when the remaining amount of hydrogen gas in the storage unit that supplies hydrogen gas to the fuel cell unit decreases, hydrogen gas is supplied to the fuel cell unit from the other storage unit in which hydrogen gas generated by a hydrogen gas generator is stored, instead of the storage unit with the decreased remaining amount, so that power generation by the fuel cell unit can be continued. In addition, by allowing hydrogen gas generated by the hydrogen gas generator to flow into the storage unit with the decreased remaining amount and storing it in parallel with the supply of hydrogen gas from the other storage unit, when the remaining amount in the storage unit that has newly started to supply hydrogen gas decreases, the storage unit can be switched again to continue supplying hydrogen gas.

[0008] In this case, in the power generation system prototyped by the applicant, similarly to the configuration disclosed in the above patent document, the decrease in the supply amount of hydrogen gas per unit time can be avoided by heating the storage unit that supplies hydrogen gas to the fuel cell unit. However, when hydrogen gas is flowed into the storage unit with a reduced remaining amount after the storage unit is switched as described above, the storage unit that was heated until just before the switching is at a high temperature, and the efficiency of hydrogen absorption in the hydrogen storage alloy decreases. As a result, it takes a long time to store a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas, and when the remaining amount of the storage unit that supplies hydrogen gas to the fuel cell unit decreases and it becomes necessary to switch the storage unit again, there may be a case where the storage unit that flows in the hydrogen gas generated by the hydrogen gas generating device does not store sufficient hydrogen gas. In such a case, the supply of hydrogen gas to the fuel cell unit is started from the storage unit that does not store a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas, and it becomes necessary to switch the storage unit again in a short time.

[0009] Thus, in the configuration disclosed in the above patent document, although it is possible to avoid a decrease in the amount of hydrogen gas released per unit time by heating the storage section (fuel tank), there is a problem in that hydrogen gas cannot be efficiently stored in a storage section whose remaining amount has decreased due to the supply of hydrogen gas, and as a result, it may become difficult to continuously supply hydrogen gas to the fuel cell unit.

[0010] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems to be solved, and its main object is to provide a fuel supply device and power generation system that can continuously supply a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas (second gas) to a fuel cell unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to achieve the above object, a fuel supply device according to claim 1 is configured to be capable of supplying a second gas to a fuel cell unit configured to generate electricity by reacting a first gas containing an oxidant and a second gas containing hydrogen, the fuel supply device including a plurality of storage containers capable of storing the second gas, a refrigeration cycle constituting a hot heat source and a cold heat source for adjusting the temperature of the storage containers, and a gas generating device configured to cause the second gas generated by a gas generating device to flow into any of the storage containers and store it therein, and to release the second gas stored in any of the other storage containers and generate the second gas. a gas flow path switching unit that supplies gas to the fuel cell unit, and a control unit that controls the refrigeration cycle and the gas flow path switching unit, the refrigeration cycle including a compressor, three heat exchangers including a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, and a third heat exchanger, a first electronic expansion valve disposed between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger in a refrigerant flow path, and a second electronic expansion valve disposed between the second heat exchanger and the third heat exchanger in the refrigerant flow path, a refrigerant flow path switching unit that switches the refrigerant flow path so that the refrigerant flows in either a first flow direction in which the refrigerant passes through the first heat exchanger, the second electronic expansion valve, and the third heat exchanger in this order and is sucked into the compressor, or a second flow direction opposite to the first flow direction; a first fluid movement unit that causes a heat exchange fluid that has exchanged heat with the refrigerant in the first heat exchanger to flow toward a first storage vessel among the storage vessels; and a second fluid movement unit that causes the heat exchange fluid that has exchanged heat with the refrigerant in the second heat exchanger to flow toward a second storage vessel among the storage vessels. a first electronic expansion valve, a second electronic expansion valve, and a refrigerant flow path switching unit that switches between the first and second heat exchangers to a third storage container, and the control unit controls the first electronic expansion valve, the second electronic expansion valve, and the refrigerant flow path switching unit to cause one of the three heat exchangers to function as a condenser serving as the hot heat source, and causes another of the three heat exchangers to function as an evaporator serving as the cold heat source, and controls the three fluid movement units to:The heat exchange fluid that has been heat exchanged in the condenser is caused to flow toward the storage container that will release the second gas among the storage containers to heat the storage container, and the heat exchange fluid that has been heat exchanged in the evaporator is caused to flow toward the storage container that will receive the second gas among the storage containers to cool the storage container, while reducing the flow rate of the heat exchange fluid from any other of the three heat exchangers to be lower than the flow rates of the heat exchange fluid from the two heat exchangers that function as the condenser and the evaporator, in accordance with the control mode of the gas flow path switching unit.

[0012] The fuel supply device of claim 2 is the fuel supply device of claim 1, wherein when the amount of the second gas stored in the storage container from which the second gas is being released decreases to a predetermined lower limit storage amount, the control unit controls the gas flow path switching unit to switch the storage container to release the second gas from the storage container whose amount of the second gas is equal to or greater than a predetermined releasable storage amount.

[0013] The fuel supply device of claim 3 is the fuel supply device of claim 1, wherein when the storage amount of the second gas in the storage container into which the second gas is flowing increases to a predetermined upper limit storage amount, the control unit controls the gas flow path switching unit to switch the second gas to flow into the storage container whose storage amount of the second gas is equal to or less than a predetermined inflowable storage amount.

[0014] The power generation system according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is configured to include the fuel supply device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the fuel cell unit, and the gas generation device. Effect of the Invention

[0015] In the fuel supply device according to claim 1, the control unit controls the first electronic expansion valve, the second electronic expansion valve, and the refrigerant flow path switching unit to make one of the three heat exchangers function as a condenser as a hot heat source and make another of the three heat exchangers function as an evaporator as a cold heat source, and controls the three fluid moving units to flow the heat exchange fluid that has been heat exchanged in the condenser toward the storage container that releases the second gas among the storage containers to heat the storage container, and to flow the heat exchange fluid that has been heat exchanged in the evaporator toward the storage container that receives the second gas among the storage containers to cool the storage container, and to reduce the flow rate of the heat exchange fluid from still another of the three heat exchangers to less than the flow rate of the heat exchange fluid from the two heat exchangers that function as the condenser and evaporator, in accordance with the control mode of the gas flow path switching unit. Also, in the power generation system according to claim 4, the power supply device according to claim 1 is provided with the above-mentioned fuel supply device, a fuel cell unit, and a gas generating device.

[0016] Therefore, according to the fuel supply device of claim 1 and the power generation system of claim 4, when the storage container releasing the second gas falls to the lower limit storage amount, a sufficient amount of the second gas required for power generation in the fuel cell unit can be continuously supplied from another storage container in which a sufficient amount of the second gas is stored, and when the storage container into which the second gas flows increases to the upper limit storage amount, the second gas generated in the gas generating device can be continuously flowed into the other storage container into which a sufficient amount of the second gas can flow and stored. Also, since the temperature of the storage container into which the second gas is not being released or flowed is at room temperature, the second gas can be efficiently released from the storage container at room temperature and efficiently flowed into the storage container at room temperature without releasing the second gas from the storage container that was heated until just before or flowing the second gas into the storage container that was cooled until just before.

[0017] In the fuel supply device according to claim 2, when the amount of the second gas stored in the storage container from which the second gas is being released falls to a predetermined lower limit storage amount, the control unit controls the gas flow path switching unit to switch to release the second gas from a storage container whose amount of the second gas is equal to or greater than the predetermined releasable storage amount. Therefore, according to the fuel supply device according to claim 2 and the power generation system including such a fuel supply device, the second gas can be continuously supplied to the fuel cell unit by releasing the second gas from a new storage container in which a sufficient amount of the second gas is stored, instead of the storage container whose amount of the second gas has fallen to the predetermined lower limit storage amount. This ensures that power generation by the fuel cell unit can be continued.

[0018] In the fuel supply device according to claim 3, when the storage amount of the second gas in the storage container into which the second gas is flowing increases to a predetermined upper limit storage amount, the control unit controls the gas flow path switching unit to switch the second gas to flow into a storage container whose storage amount of the second gas is equal to or less than the predetermined inflowable storage amount. Therefore, according to the fuel supply device according to claim 3 and the power generation system including such a fuel supply device, by starting storage of the second gas in a new storage container into which the second gas can flow, instead of the storage container into which the storage amount of the second gas has increased to the predetermined upper limit storage amount, storage in any of the storage containers can be continued without stopping generation of the second gas by the gas generation device. Furthermore, by changing the storage container that is releasing the second gas when such a condition is satisfied, the release of the second gas from the storage container that was releasing the second gas before the change is terminated when the storage amount of the second gas in that storage container is greater than the lower limit storage amount, so that when storage of the second gas in that storage container is started later, it is possible to store the second gas up to the upper limit storage amount in a short time. Therefore, even if the consumption amount of the second gas per unit time in the fuel cell unit increases, the second gas required for power generation can be reliably supplied from a storage container in which a sufficient amount of the second gas is stored. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of a power generation system 100. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining operation modes of the power generation system 100 (hydrogen gas supply device 1). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a fuel supply device and a power generation system will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] The power generation system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is an example of a "power generation system" and includes a hydrogen gas supply device 1, a fuel cell unit 2, and a hydrogen gas generator 3, and is configured to generate electricity by reacting air, which is an example of a "first gas containing an oxidant," with hydrogen gas G, which is an example of a "second gas containing hydrogen," in the fuel cell unit 2.

[0022] The hydrogen gas supply device 1 is an example of a "fuel supply device" and is configured to supply hydrogen gas G stored in any of the canisters Ca to Cc to the fuel cell unit 2, and to store hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generation device 3 in any of the other canisters Ca to Cc. Specifically, the hydrogen gas supply device 1 includes a refrigeration cycle 10, on-off valves 21a to 21c, on-off valves 22a to 22c, and a control unit 23. In this case, the canisters Ca to Cc (hereinafter, also referred to as "canister C" when not distinguished) are an example of "plurality of storage containers capable of storing a second gas", and are configured such that hydrogen storage alloys are accommodated in pressure vessels similar to the fuel tanks disclosed in the aforementioned patent documents, and hydrogen gas G flowing into the pressure vessel can be stored in the hydrogen storage alloy, and hydrogen gas G stored in the hydrogen storage alloy can be released outside the pressure vessel.

[0023] The refrigeration cycle 10 is an example of a "refrigeration cycle" and includes a compressor 11, heat exchangers 12a to 12c, electronic expansion valves 13a and 13b, a four-way valve 14, and fans 15a to 15c. The compressor 11 is an example of a "compressor" and circulates the refrigerant in the refrigeration circuit by exhausting the refrigerant from the exhaust port 11o in accordance with the control of the control unit 23. The intake port 11i and the exhaust port 11o of the compressor 11 are each connected to the four-way valve 14. The heat exchanger 12a corresponds to the "first heat exchanger", the heat exchanger 12b corresponds to the "second heat exchanger", and the heat exchanger 12c corresponds to the "third heat exchanger". Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between these heat exchangers 12a to 12c, they are also referred to as "heat exchangers 12". Moreover, the electronic expansion valve 13a corresponds to a "first electronic expansion valve" and is disposed between the heat exchangers 12a and 12b in the refrigerant flow path, and the electronic expansion valve 13b corresponds to a "second electronic expansion valve" and is disposed between the heat exchangers 12b and 12c in the refrigerant flow path. Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the electronic expansion valves 13a and 13b, they will also be referred to as "electronic expansion valves 13."

[0024] In this case, in the power generation system 100 (hydrogen gas supply device 1) of this example, as described below, the four-way valve 14 switches the refrigerant flow path (switches the flow direction of the refrigerant in the refrigeration circuit) according to the control of the control unit 23, and each electronic expansion valve 13 opens and closes the refrigerant flow path at an opening ratio specified by the control unit 23, and the fans 15a to 15c are operated (or stopped) at any rotation speed according to the control of the control unit 23, so that any one of the three heat exchangers 12 functions as a "condenser," any other one of the three heat exchangers 12 functions as an "evaporator," and yet another one of the three heat exchangers 12 is configured to not actually function as a heat exchanger.

[0025] The four-way valve 14 is an example of a "refrigerant flow path switching unit" and switches the refrigerant flow path so that the refrigerant flows in either of the following flow directions: a flow direction in which the refrigerant discharged from the exhaust port 11o of the compressor 11 passes through the heat exchanger 12a, the electronic expansion valve 13a, the heat exchanger 12b, the electronic expansion valve 13b, and the heat exchanger 12c in this order, and is sucked in (inhaled) through the intake port 11i (an example of a "first flow direction"), and a flow direction in which the refrigerant discharged from the exhaust port 11o of the compressor 11 passes through the heat exchanger 12c, the electronic expansion valve 13b, the heat exchanger 12b, the electronic expansion valve 13a, and the heat exchanger 12a in this order, and is sucked in (inhaled) through the intake port 11i (an example of a "second flow direction opposite to the first flow direction"). In the following description, the state in which the refrigerant is switched to the state shown by the solid lines to flow in the "first flow direction" is also referred to as "switching state a," and the state in which the refrigerant is switched to the state shown by the dashed lines to flow in the "second flow direction" is also referred to as "switching state b."

[0026] Fan 15a corresponds to a “first fluid movement portion,” fan 15b corresponds to a “second fluid movement portion,” and fan 15c corresponds to a “third fluid movement portion.” Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between these fans 15a to 15c, they will also be referred to as “fan 15.” In this case, in the hydrogen gas supply device 1 of this example, a configuration is adopted in which fan 15a, under the control of the control unit 23, causes air (atmosphere) as a "heat exchange fluid" that has been heat exchanged with the refrigerant in heat exchanger 12a to flow toward one of the canisters C (canister Ca: an example of a "first storage container"), fan 15b, under the control of the control unit 23, causes air (atmosphere) that has been heat exchanged with the refrigerant in heat exchanger 12b to flow toward the other of the canisters C (canister Cb: an example of a "second storage container"), and fan 15c, under the control of the control unit 23, causes air (atmosphere) that has been heat exchanged with the refrigerant in heat exchanger 12c to flow toward yet another of the canisters C (canister Cc: an example of a "third storage container").

[0027] When the configuration of the power generation system 100 (hydrogen gas supply device 1) of this example is modified to use various "liquids" such as water or oil as the "heat exchange fluid" instead of various "gases" such as air (atmosphere), a "pump" can also be used as the "fluid movement part" instead of the fan 15 (not shown).

[0028] The on-off valves 21a to 21c (hereinafter, when not distinguished, they are also referred to as "on-off valves 21"), together with the on-off valves 22a to 22c (hereinafter, when not distinguished, they are also referred to as "on-off valves 22"), constitute a "gas flow path switching unit." Specifically, in the hydrogen gas supply device 1 of this example, as described below, each on-off valve 21, under the control of the control unit 23, causes the hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generation device 3 to flow into any one of the three canisters C for storage, and each on-off valve 22, under the control of the control unit 23, causes the hydrogen gas G stored in the other one of the three canisters C to be released and supplied to the fuel cell unit 2.

[0029] The control unit 23 is an example of a "control unit" and controls the hydrogen gas supply device 1 in an overall manner. Specifically, the control unit 23 controls the compressor 11 to circulate the refrigerant in the refrigeration circuit, and controls the four-way valve 14 to change the flow path of the refrigerant (change the flow direction of the refrigerant). The control unit 23 also controls each electronic expansion valve 13 to an arbitrary valve opening ratio, and controls each fan 15 to blow air (atmosphere) that has exchanged heat with the refrigerant in each heat exchanger 12 toward the canister C, thereby making any one of the heat exchangers 12 function as a condenser and any other one of the heat exchangers 12 function as an evaporator. The control unit 23 also controls each on-off valve 21 to flow the hydrogen gas G generated in the fuel cell unit 2 into any one of the canisters C to store it, and controls each on-off valve 22 to discharge the hydrogen gas G from any one of the other canisters C and supply it to the hydrogen gas generation device 3. The control of each part by the control unit 23 will be specifically described later.

[0030] Meanwhile, the fuel cell unit 2 is an example of a "fuel cell unit" and is configured to include a fuel cell main body in which a plurality of power generation cells and a plurality of cooling cells are stacked, as well as a pump (neither of which is shown) that supplies air (first gas) to the power generation cells. This fuel cell unit 2 is configured to be able to generate electricity by reacting air (oxygen) with hydrogen gas G (hydrogen) in the fuel cell main body. Note that since the principle of power generation by the fuel cell unit 2 is well known, a detailed description of the configuration of this fuel cell unit 2 will be omitted.

[0031] The hydrogen gas generator 3 is an example of a "gas generating device" and is configured to generate hydrogen by electrolyzing water and to supply the generated hydrogen (hydrogen gas G) to the hydrogen gas supply device 1. Since the principle of generating hydrogen by electrolysis is well known, a detailed description of the configuration of the hydrogen gas generator 3 will be omitted.

[0032] Next, power generation by the power generation system 100 will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0033] In the hydrogen gas supply device 1 (power generation system 100) of this embodiment, the refrigeration cycle 10 can be shifted to one of four states, from a "first state" to a "fourth state".

[0034] First, in the "first state", the control unit 23 controls the four-way valve 14 to flow the refrigerant in the "first flow direction" (the direction indicated by the solid arrow in Figure 1), and transitions the electronic expansion valve 13a to a predefined throttle state (a state in which it functions as an expansion valve) and transitions the electronic expansion valve 13b to a predefined open state (a state in which it does not actually function as an expansion valve), thereby causing the heat exchanger 12a to function as a "condenser" and either one of the heat exchangers 12b and 12c, which is predefined, to function as an "evaporator".

[0035] In addition, in the "second state", the control unit 23 controls the four-way valve 14 to flow the refrigerant in the "first flow direction", and transitions the electronic expansion valve 13a to a predefined open state and transitions the electronic expansion valve 13b to a predefined throttling state, thereby causing one of the heat exchangers 12a, 12b, as predefined, to function as a "condenser", and causing the heat exchanger 12c to function as an "evaporator".

[0036] In addition, in the "third state", the control unit 23 controls the four-way valve 14 to cause the refrigerant to flow in the "second flow direction" (the direction indicated by the dashed arrow in Figure 1), and transitions the electronic expansion valve 13a to a pre-defined open state and transitions the electronic expansion valve 13b to a pre-defined throttling state, thereby causing the heat exchanger 12c to function as a "condenser" and either one of the heat exchangers 12b and 12a, which is pre-defined, to function as an "evaporator".

[0037] In addition, in the "fourth state", the control unit 23 controls the four-way valve 14 to flow the refrigerant in the "second flow direction", and transitions the electronic expansion valve 13a to a predefined throttle state and transitions the electronic expansion valve 13b to a predefined open state, thereby causing one of the heat exchangers 12c, 12b, as predefined, to function as a "condenser", and causing the heat exchanger 12a to function as an "evaporator".

[0038] In addition, in the above-mentioned "first state" to "fourth state", the control unit 23 controls the fan 15 that causes air to flow toward the canister C into which hydrogen gas G flows, thereby cooling the canister C into which hydrogen gas G flows by causing the air that has exchanged heat with the refrigerant in the heat exchanger 12 functioning as an "evaporator" to flow, and controls the fan 15 that causes air to flow toward the canister C that releases hydrogen gas G, thereby heating the canister C that releases hydrogen gas G by causing the air that has exchanged heat with the refrigerant in the heat exchanger 12 functioning as a "condenser" to flow, and performs a process of reducing the amount of air flow by the fan 15 that causes air to flow toward the canister C into which hydrogen gas G does not flow or release, compared to the amount of air flow by the other two fans 15, 15, in accordance with the control mode of the opening / closing valves 21, 22.

[0039] In this case, the hydrogen gas supply device 1 of this example is configured to be capable of operating in eight different operating modes: modes A and B as the above-mentioned "first state", modes C and D as the above-mentioned "second state", modes E and F as the above-mentioned "third state", and modes G and H as the above-mentioned "fourth state".

[0040] For example, when operating in mode A, the control unit 23 controls the four-way valve 14 to the switching state a while the compressor 11 is operating, thereby causing the refrigerant discharged from the exhaust port 11o to flow in the above-mentioned "first flow direction." In addition, the control unit 23 controls the electronic expansion valve 13a to the throttling state and the electronic expansion valve 13b to the open state, controls the fans 15a and 15b to the ON state, and controls the fan 15c to the OFF state. At this time, the heat exchanger 12a functions as a "condenser", and the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the exhaust port 11o is condensed in the heat exchanger 12a by heat exchange with air blown by the fan 15a (an example of the process of "controlling the first electronic expansion valve, the second electronic expansion valve, and the refrigerant flow path switching unit to cause any one of the three heat exchangers to function as a condenser serving as a heat source" and the process of "controlling the three fluid movement units to flow the heat exchange fluid that has been heat exchanged in the condenser toward the storage container that releases the second gas among the storage containers, thereby heating the storage container").

[0041] Also, the heat exchanger 12b functions as an "evaporator", and the refrigerant passed through the electronic expansion valve 13a in the throttled state is evaporated in the heat exchanger 12b by heat exchange with air blown by the fan 15b (one example of a process of "controlling the first electronic expansion valve, the second electronic expansion valve, and the refrigerant flow path switching unit to make any other heat exchanger among the three heat exchangers function as an evaporator as a cold heat source" and a process of "controlling the three fluid moving units to flow the heat exchange fluid that has been heat exchanged in the evaporator toward the storage container into which the second gas flows among the storage containers, thereby cooling the storage container"). Furthermore, the refrigerant whose temperature has increased by heat exchange with the air in the heat exchanger 12b passes through the electronic expansion valve 13b and the heat exchanger 12c in the open state, is sucked into the compressor 11 from the intake port 11i, and is discharged again from the exhaust port 11o. As a result, when the hydrogen gas supply device 1 is operated in mode A, high-temperature air whose temperature has been increased by heat exchange with the refrigerant in the heat exchanger 12a is blown into the canister Ca to heat the canister Ca, and low-temperature air whose temperature has been reduced by heat exchange with the refrigerant in the heat exchanger 12b is blown into the canister Cb to cool the canister Cb.

[0042] Also, for example, when operating in mode E, the control unit 23 controls the four-way valve 14 to the switching state b while the compressor 11 is operating, thereby causing the refrigerant discharged from the exhaust port 11o to flow in the above-mentioned "second flow direction" (the direction indicated by the dashed arrow in FIG. 1). The control unit 23 also controls the electronic expansion valve 13a to an open state, controls the electronic expansion valve 13b to a throttling state, controls the fan 15a to an OFF state, and controls the fans 15b and 15c to an ON state. At this time, the heat exchanger 12c functions as a "condenser", and the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the exhaust port 11o is condensed in the heat exchanger 12c by heat exchange with air blown by the fan 15c (another example of the process of "controlling the first electronic expansion valve, the second electronic expansion valve, and the refrigerant flow path switching unit to cause any one of the three heat exchangers to function as a condenser serving as a heat source" and the process of "controlling the three fluid movement units to flow the heat exchange fluid that has been heat exchanged in the condenser toward the storage container that releases the second gas among the storage containers, thereby heating the storage container").

[0043] Also, the heat exchanger 12b functions as an "evaporator", and the refrigerant passed through the electronic expansion valve 13b in the throttled state is evaporated in the heat exchanger 12b by heat exchange with air blown by the fan 15b (another example of the process of "controlling the first electronic expansion valve, the second electronic expansion valve, and the refrigerant flow path switching unit to make any other heat exchanger among the three heat exchangers function as an evaporator as a cold heat source" and the process of "controlling the three fluid moving units to flow the heat exchange fluid that has been heat exchanged in the evaporator toward the storage container into which the second gas flows among the storage containers, thereby cooling the storage container"). Furthermore, the refrigerant whose temperature has increased by heat exchange with the air in the heat exchanger 12b passes through the electronic expansion valve 13a and the heat exchanger 12a in the open state, is sucked into the compressor 11 from the intake port 11i, and is discharged again from the exhaust port 11o. As a result, when the hydrogen gas supply device 1 is operated in mode E, high-temperature air whose temperature has been increased by heat exchange with the refrigerant in the heat exchanger 12c is blown into the canister Cc to heat the canister Cc, and low-temperature air whose temperature has been reduced by heat exchange with the refrigerant in the heat exchanger 12b is blown into the canister Cb to cool the canister Cb.

[0044] The control manner of each part in modes B to D and F to H is as shown in Fig. 2, so detailed description will be omitted. In this case, the process in which the control unit 23 controls any one of the fans 15 to the OFF state in each of modes A to H is an example of "a process of reducing the flow rate of the heat exchange fluid from any other heat exchanger among the three heat exchangers to less than the flow rate of the heat exchange fluid from the two heat exchangers functioning as a condenser and an evaporator". Instead of such a process of stopping the fan 15, that is, the process of making the flow rate of the "heat exchange fluid" substantially zero, it is also possible to control the fan 15 to operate at a lower rotation speed than the other two fans 15 to blow a small amount of air.

[0045] On the other hand, when power generation by the power generation system 100 starts, a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G (an amount that can be supplied to the fuel cell unit 2 over a certain period of time) is stored in at least one of the three canisters C. Here, as an example, it is assumed that during the previous operation performed in the same manner as in the operation example described below, a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G was stored in each of the two canisters Ca and Cc, and the remaining amount of hydrogen gas G in the canister Cb has decreased (a state in which the amount has decreased to an amount that allows the hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generation device 3 to flow in over a certain period of time).

[0046] In this state, when power generation in the fuel cell unit 2 is started, the control unit 23 controls each part of the hydrogen gas supply device 1 to operate in mode A (one of the "first states") shown in Fig. 2. In this mode A, hydrogen gas G generated in the hydrogen gas generation device 3 passes through the on-off valve 21b and flows into the canister Cb, and hydrogen gas G discharged from the canister Ca passes through the on-off valve 22a and is supplied to the fuel cell unit 2. As a result, the hydrogen gas G is stored by being absorbed in the hydrogen storage alloy in the canister Cb, and the hydrogen gas G supplied from the hydrogen gas supply device 1 (canister Ca) and the air pressure-fed by the pump are reacted in the power generation cell in the fuel cell unit 2, and the generated electricity is supplied to a load (not shown) (such as an electrical appliance or a storage battery).

[0047] Furthermore, in order to prevent a decrease in the amount of hydrogen gas G released from the canister Ca per unit time (amount supplied to the fuel cell unit 2), the control unit 23 causes the fan 15a to blow high-temperature air that has been heat-exchanged with the refrigerant in the heat exchanger 12a functioning as a condenser toward the canister Ca, thereby heating the canister Ca through heat exchange with this high-temperature air. As a result, a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G required for power generation is continuously supplied from the hydrogen gas supply device 1 (canister Ca) to the fuel cell unit 2. Furthermore, in order to prevent a decrease in the amount of hydrogen gas G stored in the canister Cb per unit time (the amount of hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generating device 3 stored per unit time), the control unit 23 causes the fan 15b to blow low-temperature air that has been heat-exchanged with the refrigerant in the heat exchanger 12b functioning as an evaporator toward the canister Cb, thereby cooling the canister Cb through heat exchange with this low-temperature air. This ensures that the hydrogen gas G successively generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 flows into the canister Cb and is stored therein.

[0048] During operation in mode A, as described above, the refrigerant whose temperature has increased due to heat exchange with the air in the heat exchanger 12b passes through the open electronic expansion valve 13b and the heat exchanger 12c, is sucked into the compressor 11 from the intake port 11i, and is discharged again from the exhaust port 11o. At this time, since the fan 15c is controlled to be in the OFF state, the canister Cc, to which air is blown when the fan 15c is in the ON state, is maintained in contact with the surrounding air, and is therefore maintained at room temperature (ambient temperature).

[0049] On the other hand, as power generation by the fuel cell unit 2 continues, the remaining amount of the canister Ca decreases due to the supply of hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2, and even if the canister Ca is heated by heat exchange with heated air in the heat exchanger 12a, it becomes difficult to release a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G required for power generation. If the amount of hydrogen gas G stored in the canister Ca, which supplies hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2, decreases to an amount that makes it difficult to appropriately release the gas (as an example, a storage amount that is 15% of the storable amount for the canister C: an example of a "predetermined lower limit storage amount") and operation is continued while maintaining this state, the supply of hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2 will stop, and power generation in the fuel cell unit 2 will stop.

[0050] Therefore, in the hydrogen gas supply device 1 (power generation system 100) of this example, when the condition that the storage amount of hydrogen gas G in the canister C supplying hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2 has decreased to a lower limit storage amount is satisfied, the control unit 23 executes control to change the canister C that releases the hydrogen gas G to be supplied to the fuel cell unit 2 (an example of a process of "controlling the gas flow path switching unit to switch so as to release the second gas from a storage container whose storage amount of the second gas is equal to or greater than the predetermined releasable storage amount when the storage amount of the second gas in the canister C that supplies the hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2 has decreased to a predetermined lower limit storage amount").

[0051] Specifically, as an example, the control unit 23 controls each part of the hydrogen gas supply device 1 to operate in mode E (one of the "third states") shown in Fig. 2. In this mode E, hydrogen gas G generated in the hydrogen gas generation device 3 passes through the on-off valve 21b and flows into the canister Cb, and hydrogen gas G discharged from the canister Cc passes through the on-off valve 22c and is supplied to the fuel cell unit 2. As a result, the hydrogen gas G is stored by being absorbed in the hydrogen storage alloy in the canister Cb, and the hydrogen gas G supplied from the hydrogen gas supply device 1 (canister Cc) and the air pumped by the pump are reacted in the power generation cell in the fuel cell unit 2, and the generated electricity is supplied to a load (not shown) (such as an electrical appliance or a storage battery).

[0052] Furthermore, in order to prevent a decrease in the amount of hydrogen gas G released from the canister Cc per unit time (amount supplied to the fuel cell unit 2), the control unit 23 causes the fan 15c to blow high-temperature air that has been heat-exchanged with the refrigerant in the heat exchanger 12c functioning as a condenser toward the canister Cc, thereby heating the canister Cc through heat exchange with this high-temperature air. As a result, a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G required for power generation is continuously supplied from the hydrogen gas supply device 1 (canister Cc) to the fuel cell unit 2. Furthermore, in order to prevent a decrease in the amount of hydrogen gas G stored in the canister Cb per unit time (the amount of hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generating device 3 stored per unit time), the control unit 23 causes the fan 15b to blow low-temperature air that has been heat-exchanged with the refrigerant in the heat exchanger 12b functioning as an evaporator toward the canister Cb, thereby cooling the canister Cb through heat exchange with this low-temperature air. This ensures that the hydrogen gas G successively generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 flows into the canister Cb and is stored therein.

[0053] During operation in mode E, as described above, the refrigerant whose temperature has increased due to heat exchange with the air in heat exchanger 12b passes through electronic expansion valve 13a and heat exchanger 12a in an open state, is sucked into compressor 11 from intake port 11i, and is discharged again from exhaust port 11o. At this time, fan 15a is controlled to be in an OFF state, so that canister Ca, to which air is blown when fan 15a is in an ON state, is maintained in contact with the surrounding air, and is therefore maintained at room temperature (ambient temperature).

[0054] Furthermore, by continuing to store the hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generating device 3, the canister C in the temperature-adjusting liquid tank reaches a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G, and even if the canister C is cooled by heat exchange with water, it becomes difficult to make the hydrogen storage alloy absorb the hydrogen gas G. Here, even if the amount of hydrogen gas G stored in the canister C storing the hydrogen gas G generated in the hydrogen gas generating device 3 increases to a predetermined amount (for example, a 100% storage amount that is the amount that can be stored in the canister C: an example of "predetermined") and the operation is continued while maintaining that state, it is not possible to store any more hydrogen gas G in the canister C. Therefore, in order to continue storing the hydrogen gas G, it is necessary to start storing hydrogen gas G in another canister C that can store hydrogen gas G (a canister C with a storage amount of hydrogen gas G less than the upper limit storage amount) instead of the canister C that has reached the upper limit storage amount.

[0055] Therefore, in the hydrogen gas supply device 1 (power generation system 100) of this example, when the condition that the storage amount of hydrogen gas G in the canister C storing the hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generation device 3 has increased to the upper limit storage amount is satisfied, the control unit 23 executes control to change the canister C into which the hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generation device 3 flows (an example of a process of "controlling the gas flow path switching unit to switch so that the second gas flows into a storage container whose storage amount of the second gas is equal to or less than the predetermined inflowable storage amount when the storage amount of the second gas in the storage container into which the second gas is flowing has increased to a predetermined upper limit storage amount").

[0056] Specifically, as an example, the control unit 23 controls each unit to operate in mode F (another one of the "third states") shown in Fig. 2. In this mode F, hydrogen gas G generated in the hydrogen gas generation device 3 passes through the on-off valve 21a and flows into the canister Ca, and hydrogen gas G discharged from the canister Cc passes through the on-off valve 22c and is supplied to the fuel cell unit 2. As a result, the hydrogen gas G is stored by being absorbed in the hydrogen storage alloy in the canister Ca, and the hydrogen gas G supplied from the hydrogen gas supply device 1 (canister Cc) and the air pressure-fed by the pump are reacted in the power generation cell in the fuel cell unit 2, and the generated electricity is supplied to a load (such as an electrical appliance or a storage battery) not shown.

[0057] Furthermore, in order to prevent a decrease in the amount of hydrogen gas G released from the canister Cc per unit time (amount supplied to the fuel cell unit 2), the control unit 23 causes the fan 15a to blow high-temperature air that has been heat-exchanged with the refrigerant in the heat exchanger 12c functioning as a condenser toward the canister Cc, thereby heating the canister Cc through heat exchange with this high-temperature air. As a result, a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G required for power generation in the fuel cell unit 2 is continuously supplied from the hydrogen gas supply device 1 (canister Cc). Furthermore, in order to prevent a decrease in the amount of hydrogen gas G stored in the canister Ca per unit time (the amount of hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generating device 3 stored per unit time), the control unit 23 causes the fan 15a to blow low-temperature air that has been heat-exchanged with the refrigerant in the heat exchanger 12a functioning as an evaporator toward the canister Ca, thereby cooling the canister Ca through heat exchange with this low-temperature air. This ensures that the hydrogen gas G successively generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 flows into the canister Ca and is stored therein.

[0058] During operation in mode F, the refrigerant, whose temperature has been reduced by heat exchange with the air in the heat exchanger 12c, passes through the open electronic expansion valve 13b, the heat exchanger 12b, and the throttled electronic expansion valve 13a while maintaining its pressure, and flows into the heat exchanger 12a. At this time, since the fan 15b is controlled to be in the OFF state, the canister Cb, to which air is blown when the fan 15b is in the ON state, is maintained in contact with the surrounding air, and is therefore maintained at room temperature (ambient temperature).

[0059] In addition, which of the timing when the amount (remaining amount) of hydrogen gas G in the canister C releasing hydrogen gas G decreases to the lower limit storage amount or the timing when the amount (filled amount of hydrogen gas G) of hydrogen gas G in the canister C into which hydrogen gas G flows increases to the upper limit storage amount occurs first is determined by the amount of power generated (amount of hydrogen gas G consumed per unit time) in the fuel cell unit 2 and the amount of hydrogen gas G generated per unit time in the hydrogen gas generator 3, and therefore differs depending on the usage environment and operation mode of the power generation system 100. Therefore, the control unit 23 switches to another mode and continues operation at the time when either the condition when the amount of hydrogen gas G in the canister C releasing hydrogen gas G decreases to the lower limit storage amount or the condition when the amount of hydrogen gas G in the canister C into which hydrogen gas G flows increases to the upper limit storage amount is satisfied.

[0060] In this case, when the condition that the storage amount has decreased to the lower limit storage amount is satisfied and the mode is changed, it is essential that a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G is stored in the canister C that will release the hydrogen gas G after the change. However, even if the canister C into which hydrogen gas G flowed and was stored until the time of the mode change had a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G stored therein, the canister C was cooled to avoid a decrease in the storage efficiency of the hydrogen gas G. Therefore, when hydrogen gas G is released from such a canister C, it is not possible to release a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G per unit time, and there is a risk that the energy consumption of the refrigeration cycle 10 (heat source) will increase due to the heating of the cooled canister C.

[0061] In addition, the canister C into which hydrogen gas G has been flowed and stored up until the time of the mode change may not yet have an increased amount of hydrogen gas G up to the upper limit storage amount, so when hydrogen gas G is released from such a canister C, the amount of hydrogen gas G stored may decrease to the lower limit storage amount in a short time. Therefore, when the condition that the amount of storage has decreased to the lower limit storage amount is met and the mode is changed, it is preferable to change to a mode in which hydrogen gas G can be released from a canister C (canister Cc: standby canister C in the above example from mode A to mode E) in which the filling of hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generation device 3 has been completed and air is not blown by the fan 15 and the canister C is maintained at room temperature (ambient temperature).

[0062] On the other hand, when the condition that the storage amount has increased to the upper limit storage amount is satisfied and the mode is changed, it is essential that the storage amount of hydrogen gas G in the canister C into which hydrogen gas G is to be introduced after the change is less than the upper limit storage amount (there is sufficient free capacity to allow hydrogen gas G to be introduced). However, even if the canister C that had been releasing hydrogen gas G up until the time of the mode change is in a state in which the storage amount of hydrogen gas G has fallen below the upper limit storage amount (a state in which new hydrogen gas G can be stored), the canister C that had been releasing hydrogen gas G up until the time of the mode change is a canister C that has been heated to avoid a decrease in the release efficiency of hydrogen gas G. Therefore, when hydrogen gas G is introduced into such a canister C, it is not possible to absorb (store) a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G per unit time, and there is a risk that the energy consumption of the refrigeration cycle 10 (cold heat source) will increase by cooling the heated canister C.

[0063] Furthermore, since the amount of hydrogen gas G stored in the canister C that has been releasing hydrogen gas G until the mode change may not have decreased to the lower limit storage amount, there is a risk that the amount of hydrogen gas G stored in the canister C may decrease to the upper limit storage amount in a short period of time when hydrogen gas G is flowed into and stored in such a canister C. Therefore, when the condition that the amount of storage has increased to the upper limit storage amount is satisfied and the mode is changed, it is preferable to change to a mode in which hydrogen gas G can be flowed into and stored in the canister C that has decreased to the lower limit storage amount by the supply of hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2 and is maintained at room temperature (ambient temperature) without air being blown by the fan 15 (canister Ca in the above example from mode E to mode F: standby canister C).

[0064] On the other hand, an example of operation has been described in which power generation by the fuel cell unit 2 (supply of hydrogen gas G from the hydrogen gas supply device 1 to the fuel cell unit 2) and storage of the hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 in the canister C are performed in parallel. However, in the power generation system 100 (hydrogen gas supply device 1) of this example, when power generation by the fuel cell unit 2 is not being performed, the power generation system 100 is configured to be able to solely store the hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 in the canister C.

[0065] In this case, when the supply of hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2 is not required, heating of each canister C is not required. Therefore, when only storing hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generating device 3 in the canister C, as an example, by blowing air to the two heat exchangers 12 other than the heat exchanger 12 functioning as an evaporator with the rotation speed of the corresponding two fans 15 lowered, a sufficient amount of refrigerant required for the heat exchanger 12 functioning as an evaporator (an amount capable of functioning as a cold heat source capable of sufficiently cooling the canister C to be cooled) can be condensed in the other two heat exchangers. As a result, even in a state in which hydrogen gas G is not supplied from the hydrogen gas supply device 1 to the fuel cell unit 2, the hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generating device 3 can be stored in the canister C in one of the temperature adjustment liquid tanks.

[0066] Furthermore, when storage of hydrogen gas G generated in the hydrogen gas generating device 3 is not required, cooling of each canister C is not required. Therefore, when only hydrogen gas G is supplied to the fuel cell unit 2, as an example, by blowing air to the two heat exchangers 12 other than the heat exchanger 12 functioning as a condenser with the rotation speed of the corresponding two fans 15 reduced, a sufficient amount of refrigerant required for the heat exchanger 12 functioning as a condenser (an amount that can function as a heat source that can sufficiently heat the canister C to be heated) can be evaporated in the other two heat exchangers. As a result, even in a state in which hydrogen gas G generated in the hydrogen gas generating device 3 is not stored in the canister C, a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G required for power generation in the fuel cell unit 2 can be supplied.

[0067] In this manner, in the hydrogen gas supply device 1, the control unit 23 controls the electronic expansion valves 13a, 13b and the four-way valve 14 to cause one of the heat exchangers 12a to 12c to function as a condenser as a hot heat source and causes another of the heat exchangers 12a to 12c to function as an evaporator as a cold heat source, and controls the fans 15a to 15c to cause the air (heat exchange fluid) that has been heat exchanged in the condenser to flow toward the canister C that releases the hydrogen gas G among the canisters Ca to Cc. The canister C is heated by moving the valves 21a-21c, 22a-22c, and the canister C is cooled by flowing air that has been heat exchanged in the evaporator toward the canister C into which hydrogen gas G flows out of the canisters Ca-Cc, while the flow rate of air from any other of the heat exchangers 12a-12c is reduced below the flow rate of air from the two heat exchangers 12, 12 that function as a condenser and an evaporator, in accordance with the control modes of the on-off valves 21a-21c, 22a-22c. The power generation system 100 further includes the hydrogen gas supply device 1, the fuel cell unit 2, and the hydrogen gas generation device 3.

[0068] Therefore, according to the hydrogen gas supply device 1 and the power generation system 100, when the canister C releasing hydrogen gas G drops to the lower limit storage amount, a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G required for power generation in the fuel cell unit 2 can be continuously supplied from another canister C in which a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G is stored, and when the canister C into which hydrogen gas G flows increases to the upper limit storage amount, the hydrogen gas G generated in the hydrogen gas generation device 3 can be continuously flowed into and stored in the other canister C into which a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G can flow. In addition, since the temperature of the canister C into which hydrogen gas G is not being released or flowed is at room temperature, hydrogen gas G can be efficiently released from the canister C at room temperature and hydrogen gas G can be efficiently flowed into the canister C at room temperature without releasing hydrogen gas G from the canister C that was heated until just before or flowing hydrogen gas G into the canister C that was cooled until just before.

[0069] Furthermore, in this hydrogen gas supply device 1, when the amount of hydrogen gas G stored in the canister C from which hydrogen gas G is being released falls to a predetermined lower limit storage amount, the control unit 23 controls the on-off valves 22a to 22c to switch so that hydrogen gas G is released from the canister C in which the amount of hydrogen gas G stored is equal to or greater than the predetermined releasable storage amount. Therefore, according to this hydrogen gas supply device 1 and power generation system 100, instead of the canister C in which the amount of hydrogen gas G stored has fallen to the predetermined lower limit storage amount, hydrogen gas G can be released from a new canister C in which sufficient hydrogen gas G is stored, and hydrogen gas G can be continuously supplied to the fuel cell unit 2. This allows the power generation by the fuel cell unit 2 to be reliably continued.

[0070] Furthermore, in this hydrogen gas supply device 1, when the amount of hydrogen gas G stored in the canister C into which hydrogen gas G is flowing increases to a predetermined upper limit storage amount, the control unit 23 controls the on-off valves 21a to 21c to switch so that hydrogen gas G flows into the canister C in which the amount of hydrogen gas G stored is equal to or less than the predetermined inflowable storage amount. Therefore, according to this hydrogen gas supply device 1 and power generation system 100, by starting storage of hydrogen gas G in a new canister C into which hydrogen gas G can flow instead of the canister C in which the amount of hydrogen gas G stored has increased to the predetermined upper limit storage amount, it is possible to continue storage in any of the canisters C without stopping the generation of hydrogen gas G by the hydrogen gas generation device 3. Furthermore, by changing the canister C that is releasing hydrogen gas G when such conditions are satisfied, the release of hydrogen gas G from the canister C that was releasing hydrogen gas G before the change will end in a state where the amount of hydrogen gas G stored in that canister C is greater than the lower limit storage amount, so that when storage of hydrogen gas G in that canister C is started later, it can be stored up to the upper limit storage amount in a short period of time. Therefore, even if the amount of hydrogen gas G consumed per unit time in the fuel cell unit 2 increases, the hydrogen gas G required for power generation can be reliably supplied from the canister C in which a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G is stored.

[0071] The configurations of the “fuel supply device” and the “power generation system” are not limited to the examples of the configurations of the hydrogen gas supply device 1 and the power generation system 100 described above.

[0072] For example, although the configuration using three "storage containers" of canisters Ca to Cc has been described as an example, the number of "storage containers" can be four or more. In addition, although the configuration including one each of the "first heat exchanger," the "second heat exchanger," and the "third heat exchanger" (the configuration including three heat exchangers 12a to 12c) has been described as an example, the configuration can also include multiple each of the "first heat exchanger," the "second heat exchanger," and the "third heat exchanger." In addition, the "heat exchange fluid" can be various gases other than air, or various liquids such as water, brine, and oil.

[0073] In addition, the configuration of the power generation system 100 including the hydrogen gas generator 3 together with the hydrogen gas supply device 1 and the fuel cell unit 2 has been described, but instead of such a configuration, the configuration of the present invention can also be adopted in a power generation system (another example of a "power generation system") configured to store hydrogen gas G generated by a hydrogen gas generator (gas generator) as an external device in a canister C and supply it to the fuel cell unit 2. Also, a configuration can be adopted in which hydrogen gas G is supplied from a "fuel supply device" including the hydrogen gas supply device 1 and the fuel cell unit 2 to a "fuel cell unit" as an external device, or a configuration can be adopted in which hydrogen gas G generated by a hydrogen gas generator (gas generator) as an external device is supplied from the hydrogen gas supply device 1 to a "fuel cell unit" as an external device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 100 Power Generation System 1 Hydrogen gas supply device 2 Fuel Cell Unit 3 Hydrogen gas generator 10 Refrigeration cycle 11 Compressor 11i Intake port 11o Exhaust port 12a~12c heat exchanger 13a, 13b Electronic expansion valve 14 Four-way valve 15a~15c Fan 21a-21c, 22a-22c On-off valve 23 Control Unit Ca~Cc Canister G Hydrogen gas

Claims

1. A fuel supply device configured to be capable of supplying a second gas to a fuel cell unit configured to generate electricity by reacting a first gas containing an oxidant with a second gas containing hydrogen, the fuel supply device comprising: A plurality of storage containers capable of storing the second gas; a refrigeration cycle that constitutes a hot heat source and a cold heat source for adjusting the temperature of the storage container; a gas flow path switching unit that causes the second gas generated by the gas generating device to flow into any one of the storage containers and be stored therein, and that causes the second gas stored in any other of the storage containers to be released and supplied to the fuel cell unit; A control unit that controls the refrigeration cycle and the gas flow path switching unit, The refrigeration cycle includes: A compressor; three heat exchangers, a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger and a third heat exchanger; a first electronic expansion valve disposed in a refrigerant flow path between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, and a second electronic expansion valve disposed in the refrigerant flow path between the second heat exchanger and the third heat exchanger; a refrigerant flow path switching unit that switches the refrigerant flow path so that the refrigerant discharged from the compressor flows in either a first flow direction in which the refrigerant passes through the first heat exchanger, the first electronic expansion valve, the second heat exchanger, the second electronic expansion valve, and the third heat exchanger in this order and is sucked into the compressor, or a second flow direction opposite to the first flow direction; the first fluid moving unit causing the heat exchange fluid that has been heat exchanged with the refrigerant in the first heat exchanger to flow toward a first storage container among the storage containers, the second fluid moving unit causing the heat exchange fluid that has been heat exchanged with the refrigerant in the second heat exchanger to flow toward a second storage container among the storage containers, and the third fluid moving unit causing the heat exchange fluid that has been heat exchanged with the refrigerant in the third heat exchanger to flow toward a third storage container among the storage containers, The control unit is by controlling the first electronic expansion valve, the second electronic expansion valve, and the refrigerant flow path switching unit, causing any one of the three heat exchangers to function as a condenser serving as the hot heat source, and causing any other of the three heat exchangers to function as an evaporator serving as the cold heat source, controlling the three fluid moving units to flow the heat exchange fluid that has been heat exchanged in the condenser toward the storage vessel that will release the second gas among the storage vessels, thereby heating the storage vessel, and to flow the heat exchange fluid that has been heat exchanged in the evaporator toward the storage vessel that will receive the second gas among the storage vessels, thereby cooling the storage vessel; A fuel supply device that is configured to be able to execute a process of reducing the flow rate of the heat exchange fluid from any other of the three heat exchangers to less than the flow rate of the heat exchange fluid from the two heat exchangers that function as the condenser and the evaporator, in accordance with the control mode of the gas flow path switching unit.

2. 2. The fuel supply device according to claim 1, wherein when the amount of the second gas stored in the storage container from which the second gas is being released decreases to a predetermined lower limit storage amount, the control unit controls the gas flow path switching unit to switch the storage container whose amount of the second gas stored is equal to or greater than a predetermined releasable storage amount so as to release the second gas from the storage container.

3. 2. The fuel supply device according to claim 1, wherein when the storage amount of the second gas in the storage container into which the second gas is flowing increases to a predetermined upper storage amount, the control unit controls the gas flow path switching unit to switch the second gas to flow into the storage container whose storage amount of the second gas is equal to or less than a predetermined inflowable storage amount.

4. 4. A power generation system comprising the fuel supply device according to claim 1, the fuel cell unit, and the gas generation device.

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