Fuel battery system and forklift

Abstract

To provide a fuel cell system which enables downsizing of the fuel cell system, and to provide a forklift.SOLUTION: A fuel cell system 10 includes: a fuel cell stack; a housing 15 which houses the fuel cell stack; an air cleaner 12 provided outside the housing 15; an air compressor 13 provided inside the housing 15; a first pipeline 41 connecting the air cleaner 12 with the air compressor 13; a first muffler 16 provided in the middle of the first pipeline 41 in the housing 15 and having a muffler case 60 provided with a sound absorbing structure located therein; and a second muffler 17 which is attached to the air cleaner 12 so as to narrow a passage cross section area of an intake port of the air cleaner 12. A forklift is equipped with the fuel cell system 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] The fuel cell system described in Patent Document 1 includes a fuel cell stack, an air supplier that supplies air to the fuel cell stack, a silencer that reduces intake noise of the air supplier, and a hose that connects the air supplier and the silencer. The silencer has a silencer case with an exhaust port and a silencer cover with an air intake port. The cross-sectional area of ​​the silencer case is larger than the cross-sectional areas of the hose, the exhaust port, and the air intake port. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-183268 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is a demand for miniaturization of fuel cell systems that include silencers to reduce intake noise. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The fuel cell system for solving the above problems comprises a fuel cell stack, a housing that houses the fuel cell stack, an air cleaner provided outside the housing, an air compressor provided inside the housing, piping that connects the air cleaner and the air compressor, a first silencer that is provided inside the housing midway on the piping and has a muffler case with a sound-absorbing structure inside, and a second silencer that is attached to the air cleaner so as to narrow the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the intake port of the air cleaner.

[0006] According to the above configuration, the first silencer is disposed inside the housing, and the second silencer is attached to the air cleaner outside the housing. The second silencer reduces the intake noise of the air compressor by narrowing the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the air cleaner intake port, and can therefore be made smaller than the first silencer having a muffler case. Therefore, compared to when the first silencer is attached to the air cleaner outside the housing, the silencer provided outside the housing can be made smaller. This allows for a more compact fuel cell system.

[0007] In the above fuel cell system, the second silencer may be made of rubber. According to the above configuration, the noise absorbing performance of the second silencer can be improved compared to when the second silencer is made of metal, and damage to the air cleaner when the second silencer is attached to the air cleaner can be avoided.

[0008] In the above fuel cell system, the air cleaner has an intake pipe that constitutes the intake port, and the second muffler has an inner pipe that is inserted into the intake pipe to narrow the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the intake port, and an outer pipe that is positioned on the outer periphery of the inner pipe and into which the intake pipe is fitted, and the axial dimension of the inner pipe may be longer than the axial dimension of the outer pipe.

[0009] According to the above configuration, the effect of attenuating intake noise by reflection from the inner pipe can be increased compared to when the axial dimension of the inner pipe is equal to or smaller than the axial dimension of the outer pipe. The forklift truck for solving the above problems is characterized by being equipped with the above fuel cell system.

[0010] According to the above configuration, the first silencer is disposed inside the housing, and the second silencer is attached to the air cleaner outside the housing. The second silencer reduces the intake noise of the air compressor by narrowing the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the air cleaner intake port, and can therefore be made smaller than the first silencer having a muffler case. Therefore, compared to when the first silencer is attached to the air cleaner outside the housing, the silencer provided outside the housing can be made smaller. This allows for a more compact fuel cell system.

[0011] The forklift truck may include a body having a main body and a hood provided at the upper rear of the main body, and a driver's seat provided on the top plate of the hood, and the air cleaner and the second silencer may be housed within the hood.

[0012] According to the above configuration, the weight of the driver sitting in the driver's seat may cause the top plate of the hood portion to bend downward. As described above, the first silencer is disposed inside the housing, and the second silencer, which is smaller than the first silencer, is attached to the air cleaner outside the housing, thereby reducing the size of the silencer provided outside the housing. Therefore, it is easier to ensure a gap between the top plate and the silencer provided outside the housing, and it is easier to prevent the bent top plate from interfering with the silencer provided outside the housing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, the fuel cell system can be made smaller. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view of a forklift. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the fuel cell system. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the fuel cell system. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the intake pipe and the second silencer of the air cleaner. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the intake pipe and the second silencer of the air cleaner. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a forklift. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the second silencer. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the second silencer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] An embodiment of a fuel cell system and a forklift will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 6. In the following description, front, back, up, down, left and right refer to the front, back, up, down, left and right directions when the operator operating the forklift is facing forward (in the forward direction) of the forklift.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the forklift 100 includes a vehicle body 110. The vehicle body 110 includes a main body 111 and a hood 112 provided on the upper rear side of the main body 111. The front upper surface of the vehicle body 110 forms the floor of the driver's seat. The hood 112 includes a top plate 112a. A driver's seat 120 on which the driver of the forklift 100 sits is provided on the top plate 112a. In this embodiment, a recess 112b is provided on the front surface of the hood 112. The forklift 100 is equipped with a fuel cell system 10.

[0017] 2 and 3, the fuel cell system 10 includes a fuel cell stack 11, an air cleaner 12, an air compressor 13, an air supply pipe 14, and a housing 15. Note that in Fig. 3, the fuel cell stack 11 and a second pipe 42 of the air supply pipe 14, which will be described later, are not shown.

[0018] The fuel cell stack 11 is housed in a housing 15. The fuel cell stack 11 is made up of a plurality of stacked fuel cell units. The fuel cell units are solid molecular fuel cells. The fuel cell stack 11 generates electricity through an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen as a fuel gas and oxygen in the air as an oxidant gas. The forklift 100 is driven by the electricity generated by the fuel cell stack 11.

[0019] The air cleaner 12 is provided outside the housing 15. In this embodiment, the air cleaner 12 is fixed to an upper wall 15a of the housing 15 by a bracket 12a. Therefore, the air cleaner 12 is located on the upper side of the housing 15.

[0020] The air cleaner 12 has an air filter (not shown) and a cleaner case 20 that houses the air filter. In this embodiment, the cleaner case 20 is made of resin. The cleaner case 20 has a hollow cylindrical case body 21, an intake pipe 22 extending from the outer peripheral surface of the case body 21, and an exhaust pipe 23 extending from one axial end face of the case body 21. In this embodiment, the axial direction of the case body 21 is parallel to the left-right direction of the forklift 100. The intake pipe 22 extends upward and forward from the case body 21. The exhaust pipe 23 extends to the right from the case body 21.

[0021] 4, the cleaner case 20 is provided with an intake port 20a and an exhaust port (not shown). In this embodiment, the intake port 20a is configured as an opening located at the tip of the intake pipe 22. The exhaust port is configured as an opening located at the tip of the exhaust pipe 23.

[0022] 3, the air compressor 13 is provided in a housing 15. The air compressor 13 compresses the air to be supplied to the fuel cell stack 11. 2, the air supply pipe 14 has a first pipe 41 that connects the air cleaner 12 and the air compressor 13, and a second pipe 42 that connects the air compressor 13 and a cathode (not shown) of the fuel cell stack 11. The first pipe 41 passes through the upper wall 15a of the housing 15 (see FIG. 3).

[0023] Air drawn into the cleaner case 20 through the intake port 20a of the air cleaner 12 is cleaned by the air filter and then discharged from the exhaust port of the air cleaner 12. The air cleaned by the air cleaner 12 passes through a first pipe 41 and is then compressed by the air compressor 13. The air compressed by the air compressor 13 passes through a second pipe 42 and is then supplied to the fuel cell stack 11.

[0024] <Silencer> 2 and 3, the fuel cell system 10 includes a first silencer 16 and a second silencer 17. The intake noise of the air compressor 13 leaks out of the fuel cell system 10 through the first piping 41 and the cleaner case 20 of the air cleaner 12. The first silencer 16 and the second silencer 17 are provided to reduce the intake noise of the air compressor 13.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 3, the first silencer 16 has a muffler case 60. A sound-absorbing structure is provided inside the muffler case 60. Examples of the sound-absorbing structure include a multi-stage expansion structure and a sound-absorbing structure using sound-absorbing material. The muffler case 60 of this embodiment has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. A first surface 601 of the muffler case 60 is provided with an air intake port (not shown) for drawing air into the muffler case 60. A second surface 602 of the muffler case 60 is provided with an exhaust port 60a for discharging air from the inside of the muffler case 60 to the outside of the muffler case 60. In this embodiment, the second surface 602 is a surface adjacent to the first surface 601.

[0026] The first silencer 16 is provided midway along the first pipe 41 inside the housing 15. The first pipe 41 has an upstream pipe 41a that connects the exhaust port of the air cleaner 12 and the intake port of the first silencer 16, and a downstream pipe 41b that connects the exhaust port 60a of the first silencer 16 and the air compressor 13.

[0027] 4 and 5, the second silencer 17 has a cylindrical inner pipe 71, a cylindrical outer pipe 72 located on the outer periphery of the inner pipe 71, and a connecting wall 73 connecting one axial end of the inner pipe 71 to one axial end of the outer pipe 72. The outer diameter of the inner pipe 71 is smaller than the inner diameter of the intake pipe 22 of the air cleaner 12. The inner diameter of the inner pipe 71 is smaller than the inner diameter of the intake pipe 22. The inner diameter of the outer pipe 72 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the intake pipe 22. In this embodiment, the axial dimension of the inner pipe 71 is larger than the axial dimension of the outer pipe 72. The second silencer 17 of this embodiment is made of rubber.

[0028] The second silencer 17 is attached to the air cleaner 12 so as to narrow the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the intake port 20a of the air cleaner 12. In this embodiment, the second silencer 17 is attached to the tip of the intake pipe 22 of the air cleaner 12. The intake pipe 22 is fitted inside the outer pipe 72. The inner circumferential surface of the outer pipe 72 abuts against the outer circumferential surface of the intake pipe 22. In this embodiment, the outer pipe 72 of the second silencer 17 is restrained by a hose band 74. The inner pipe 71 is inserted into the intake pipe 22. The connecting wall 73 covers the tip surface of the intake pipe 22. As described above, the inner diameter of the inner pipe 71 is smaller than the inner diameter of the intake pipe 22. Therefore, the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the intake port 20a of the air cleaner 12 is narrowed by the inner pipe 71 of the second silencer 17.

[0029] 6, the fuel cell system 10 is provided in a vehicle body 110 of a forklift 100. The housing 15 is housed in a main body 111 of the vehicle body 110. The air cleaner 12 and the second silencer 17 are housed in a hood portion 112 of the vehicle body 110.

[0030] Specifically, the air cleaner 12 and the second silencer 17 are located below the top plate 112a of the hood portion 112 in the up-down direction. Therefore, the air cleaner 12 and the second silencer 17 are arranged below the driver's seat 120. Note that the driver's seat 120 is not shown in FIG. 6. A gap is provided between the top plate 112a and the second silencer 17. The air cleaner 12 and the second silencer 17 are located rearward of the bottom portion 112c of the recessed portion 112b of the hood portion 112 in the front-rear direction. A gap is provided between the bottom portion 112c and the second silencer 17.

[0031] [Operation of this embodiment] The operation of this embodiment will be described. The fuel cell system 10 includes a first silencer 16 and a second silencer 17. The first silencer 16 is provided midway along the first pipe 41 inside the housing 15. The first silencer 16 has a muffler case 60 with a sound-absorbing structure provided therein. As a result, the intake noise of the air compressor 13 is reduced by the sound-absorbing structure provided inside the muffler case 60. The second silencer 17 is attached to the air cleaner 12 so as to narrow the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the intake port 20a of the air cleaner 12. As a result, the intake noise of the air compressor 13 leaking from the intake port 20a is reduced. In this way, the intake noise of the air compressor 13 is reduced by the first silencer 16 and the second silencer 17.

[0032] The first silencer 16 is disposed inside the housing 15, and the second silencer 17 is attached to the air cleaner 12 outside the housing 15. The second silencer 17 reduces the intake noise of the air compressor 13 by narrowing the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the intake port 20a of the air cleaner 12, and therefore can be made smaller than the first silencer 16 which has a muffler case 60. Therefore, compared to when the first silencer 16 is attached to the air cleaner 12 outside the housing 15, the silencer provided outside the housing 15 can be made smaller. This allows the fuel cell system 10 to be made smaller.

[0033] [Effects of this embodiment] The effects of this embodiment will be described. (1) The fuel cell system 10 includes a first silencer 16 and a second silencer 17. The first silencer 16 is provided midway along the first pipe 41 inside the housing 15 and has a muffler case 60 with a sound-absorbing structure provided therein. The second silencer 17 is attached to the air cleaner 12 so as to narrow the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the intake port 20a of the air cleaner 12.

[0034] According to this configuration, the first silencer 16 is disposed inside the housing 15, and the second silencer 17 is attached to the air cleaner 12 outside the housing 15. The second silencer 17 reduces the intake noise of the air compressor 13 by narrowing the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the intake port 20a of the air cleaner 12, and therefore can be made smaller than the first silencer 16 having the muffler case 60. Therefore, compared to when the first silencer 16 is attached to the air cleaner 12 outside the housing 15, the silencer provided outside the housing 15 can be made smaller. This allows the fuel cell system 10 to be made smaller.

[0035] (2) The second silencer 17 is made of rubber. This configuration improves the silencing performance of the second silencer 17 compared to when the second silencer 17 is made of metal. In addition, damage to the air cleaner 12 when the second silencer 17 is attached to the air cleaner 12 can be avoided.

[0036] (3) The air cleaner 12 has an intake pipe 22 that forms the intake port 20a. The second silencer 17 has an inner pipe 71 that is inserted into the intake pipe 22 to narrow the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the intake port 20a, and an outer pipe 72 that is positioned on the outer periphery of the inner pipe 71 and into which the intake pipe 22 is fitted. The axial dimension of the inner pipe 71 is longer than the axial dimension of the outer pipe 72. With this configuration, the effect of intake noise being attenuated by reflection by the inner pipe 71 can be increased compared to when the axial dimension of the inner pipe 71 is equal to or shorter than the axial dimension of the outer pipe 72.

[0037] (4) The forklift 100 includes a vehicle body 110 having a main body 111 and a hood 112 provided on the upper rear side of the main body 111, a driver's seat 120 provided on a top plate 112a of the hood 112, and a fuel cell system 10. The air cleaner 12 and second silencer 17 of the fuel cell system 10 are housed within the hood 112.

[0038] According to this configuration, the top plate 112a of the hood portion 112 may bend downward due to the weight of the driver sitting in the driver's seat 120. As described above, the first silencer 16 is disposed inside the housing 15, and the second silencer 17, which is smaller than the first silencer 16, is attached to the air cleaner 12, thereby reducing the size of the silencer provided outside the housing 15. Therefore, it becomes easier to ensure a gap between the top plate 112a and the silencer provided outside the housing 15, and it becomes easier to prevent the bent top plate 112a from interfering with the silencer provided outside the housing 15.

[0039] In addition, it is easier to ensure a gap between bottom 112c of recess 112b of hood portion 112 and the silencer provided outside housing 15, making it easier to avoid interference between bottom 112c and the silencer provided outside housing 15.

[0040] (5) For example, when the first silencer 16 is attached to the intake port 20a of the air cleaner 12, one possible method for downsizing the fuel cell system 10 is to move the first silencer 16 into the housing 15. However, in this case, due to restrictions on the layout of components within the housing 15, it may not be possible to obtain the same level of noise reduction performance as when the first silencer 16 is attached to the intake port 20a of the air cleaner 12.

[0041] For example, the ratio of the intake port to the first surface 601 of the muffler case 60 and the ratio of the exhaust port 60a to the second surface 602 of the muffler case 60 may differ from the ratios when the first silencer 16 is attached to the intake port 20a of the air cleaner 12. As a result, the frequencies silenced by the first silencer 16 may also differ, and the desired silencing effect may not be obtained. In other words, simply reducing the size of the fuel cell system 10 by moving the first silencer 16 inside the housing 15 may not result in the desired silencing effect.

[0042] In contrast to this, in this embodiment, in addition to disposing the first silencer 16 inside the housing 15, a second silencer 17 is attached to the air cleaner 12. This makes it possible to obtain the desired silencing effect while reducing the size of the fuel cell system 10.

[0043] (6) The air cleaner 12 and the second silencer 17 are provided on the upper side of the housing 15. In this case, if a relatively heavy silencer such as the first silencer 16 having the muffler case 60 is attached to the air cleaner 12, the position of the center of gravity becomes higher, which deteriorates the workability of assembling the fuel cell system 10. In contrast, in this embodiment, the first silencer 16 is disposed inside the housing 15, and the second silencer 17, which is lighter in weight than the first silencer 16, is attached to the air cleaner 12. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the position of the center of gravity becoming higher, which improves the workability of assembling the fuel cell system 10.

[0044] (7) One method for reducing intake noise is to provide a sound-absorbing structure inside the air cleaner 12, but in this case, a general-purpose product cannot be used as the air cleaner 12. In contrast, in this embodiment, the intake noise is reduced by attaching a second silencer 17 to the air cleaner 12. Therefore, a general-purpose product can be used as the air cleaner 12.

[0045] [Example of change] The above embodiment can be modified as follows: The above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0046] The second silencer 17 is not limited to being made of rubber. The second silencer 17 may be made of, for example, metal. The inner diameter of the inner pipe 71 of the second silencer 17 may be changed as appropriate.

[0047] In the second silencer 17, the axial dimension of the inner pipe 71 may be equal to or smaller than the axial dimension of the outer pipe 72. 7 and 8, the second silencer 17 may have ribs 75. The ribs 75 are provided around the entire circumferential surface of the inner pipe 72. When the second silencer 17 is attached to the intake pipe 22 of the air cleaner 12, the ribs 75 are in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the intake pipe 22, stably attaching the second silencer 17 to the air cleaner 12. Furthermore, this configuration does not require any processing of the air cleaner 12, so a general-purpose product can be used as the air cleaner 12.

[0048] The hose band 74 may be omitted. In the above embodiment, the air cleaner 12 and the second silencer 17 are disposed on the upper side of the housing 15. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The air cleaner 12 and the second silencer 17 may be disposed, for example, on the side of the housing 15, as long as they are disposed outside the housing 15.

[0049] Although the fuel cell system 10 is mounted on the forklift 100 in the above embodiment, it may be mounted on other vehicles. The fuel cell system 10 may also be a stationary system. The mounting position of the fuel cell system 10 on the forklift 100 may be changed as appropriate.

[0050] [Note] The technical ideas that can be understood from the above-described embodiment and modifications will be described below. <Appendix 1> A fuel cell system comprising: a fuel cell stack; a housing that houses the fuel cell stack; an air cleaner provided outside the housing; an air compressor provided within the housing; piping that connects the air cleaner and the air compressor; a first silencer that is provided within the housing midway on the piping and has a muffler case with a sound-absorbing structure inside; and a second silencer that is attached to the air cleaner so as to narrow the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the air intake of the air cleaner.

[0051] <Appendix 2> 2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the second silencer is made of rubber. <Appendix 3> The fuel cell system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the air cleaner has an intake pipe that constitutes the intake port, and the second silencer has an inner pipe that is inserted into the intake pipe to narrow the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the intake port, and an outer pipe that is positioned on the outer periphery of the inner pipe and into which the intake pipe is fitted, and the axial dimension of the inner pipe is longer than the axial dimension of the outer pipe.

[0052] <Appendix 4> A forklift equipped with the fuel cell system according to any one of appendices 1 to 3. <Appendix 5> 5. A forklift according to claim 4, comprising: a body having a main body and a hood provided on the upper rear side of the main body; and a driver's seat provided on a top plate of the hood, wherein the air cleaner and the second silencer are housed within the hood. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 10...fuel cell system, 11...fuel cell stack, 12...air cleaner, 13...air compressor, 15...casing, 16...first silencer, 17...second silencer, 20a...air intake port, 22...air intake pipe, 41...first piping as piping, 60...muffler case, 71...inner pipe, 72...outer pipe, 100...forklift, 110...vehicle body, 111...main body, 112...hood, 112a...top plate, 120...driver's seat

Claims

1. a fuel cell stack; a housing that houses the fuel cell stack; an air cleaner provided outside the housing; an air compressor provided within the housing; a pipe connecting the air cleaner and the air compressor; a first silencer provided in the housing midway along the piping and having a muffler case with a sound-absorbing structure provided therein; a second silencer attached to the air cleaner so as to narrow a flow path cross-sectional area of ​​an intake port of the air cleaner; A fuel cell system comprising:

2. 2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the second silencer is made of rubber.

3. the air cleaner has an intake pipe that constitutes the intake port, the second silencer includes an inner pipe that is inserted into the intake pipe to narrow a flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the intake port, and an outer pipe that is located on an outer periphery of the inner pipe and into which the intake pipe is fitted, 3. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the axial dimension of the inner pipe is longer than the axial dimension of the outer pipe.

4. A forklift equipped with the fuel cell system according to claim 1.

5. a vehicle body having a main body and a hood provided on an upper rear portion of the main body; A driver's seat provided on a top plate of the hood portion; Equipped with The forklift according to claim 4, wherein the air cleaner and the second silencer are housed within the hood portion.

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