heating furnace

Abstract

A heating furnace is provided that stably applies a compressive load to a furnace internal structure and safely discharges gas generated or leaked from the furnace internal structure to the outside of the furnace. [Solution] The heating furnace (12) comprises a stick (33) that biases a first part (41) of an internal structure (40) to be heated by the action of a spring member (35), a sleeve (34) that has an opening (37) that allows the housed stick (33) to protrude from the underside and is engaged with a second part (42) of the internal structure (40), and a housing (45) that places the internal structure (40) inside and exposes the upper side of the sleeve (34) in which the spring member (35) is housed to the outside through a hole (13).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention relates to a heated furnace containing furnace internals. [Background technology]

[0002] Solid oxide high-temperature steam electrolysis is a method for producing hydrogen by electrolyzing steam in a high-temperature atmosphere using a solid oxide electrolysis cell. By electrolyzing steam inside a heating furnace set to a high-temperature atmosphere of approximately 700°C or higher, the efficiency of water electrolysis (electrolysis) is approximately 30% higher than with conventional solid polymer electrolysis cells, enabling hydrogen production with less power consumption.

[0003] The module that realizes high-temperature steam electrolysis is an internal structure that integrates multiple cell stacks, each of which consists of approximately 100 stacked cells, each consisting of a hydrogen electrode layer, electrolyte layer, reaction prevention layer, and oxygen electrode.To ensure electrolysis performance and sealing, this module (internal structure) is constantly held under a compressive force of, for example, approximately 1 to 5 kN, and is heated and maintained at 700°C or higher in a heating furnace. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5007917 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] To increase the integration rate, multiple cell stacks are stacked in a heating furnace, integrated with fastening members, and subjected to a compressive load. The fastening members of these cell stacks are made of steel, such as austenitic stainless steel, due to their high-temperature strength at temperatures above 700°C and their economical properties. In this case, a difference in thermal expansion occurs between the cell stack, which is primarily made of ceramics, and its fastening members. This difference in thermal expansion causes fluctuations in the compressive load applied to the cell stack, and therefore must be resolved in some way.

[0006] For this reason, consideration has been given to applying a constant compressive load to the furnace internal structure (cell stack) of the heating furnace, which is set to a high temperature of over 700°C, using a spring mechanism or other method. However, even spring materials made of precipitation-hardened nickel alloys with high high-temperature strength, such as Alloy 718, deteriorate due to stress relaxation, making it impossible to maintain the compressive load. Furthermore, there are cases where hydrogen is generated (leaked) from the furnace internal structure (cell stack), raising concerns about hydrogen accumulation inside and around the heating furnace.

[0007] The embodiment of the present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a heating furnace that can stably apply a compressive load to the furnace internal structures and safely discharge gas generated or leaked from the furnace internal structures to the outside of the furnace. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The heating furnace of the embodiment includes a stick that biases a first part of the furnace internal structure to be heated by the action of a spring member, a sleeve that has an opening that allows the stick to protrude from the underside and is engaged with a second part of the furnace internal structure, and a housing that places the furnace internal structure inside and exposes the upper side of the sleeve in which the spring member is housed to the outside through a hole. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a heating furnace is provided that stably applies a compressive load to a furnace internal structure and safely discharges gas generated or leaked from the furnace internal structure to the outside of the furnace. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a heating furnace according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the heating furnace according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a heating furnace according to a second embodiment. [Figure 4]FIG. 2 is a YZ side cross-sectional view showing an example of a hydrogen production device to which a heating furnace according to each embodiment is applied. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an XZ cross-sectional side view of a hydrogen production apparatus showing an embodiment of a heating furnace. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an XZ front cross-sectional view of an electrolysis module constituting a hydrogen production device showing an embodiment of a heating furnace. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an XY horizontal cross-sectional view of a hydrogen production apparatus showing an embodiment of a heating furnace. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] (First embodiment) Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a heating furnace 12 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a partially enlarged sectional view thereof. The configuration of the heating furnace 12 in the first embodiment is based on a housing 45 having a heating means (not shown) and a biasing means 30 that biases a furnace internal structure 40 as basic elements, with a thermal shield 46 and an expansion joint 57 added as optional elements to further reduce the thermal effect of the heating means on the biasing means 30.

[0012] The basic configuration of the heating furnace 12 includes a stick 33 that biases a first part 41 of the furnace internal structure 40 to be heated by the action of a spring member 35, a sleeve 34 whose opening 37, which allows the housed stick 33 to protrude from the underside, is engaged with a second part 42 of the furnace internal structure 40, and a housing 45 in which the furnace internal structure 40 is placed and which exposes the upper side of the sleeve 34 in which the spring member 35 is housed to the outside through a hole 13.

[0013] 1 is a conceptual model for explaining an embodiment of the heating furnace 12. The first part 41 and the second part 42 may be separate, connected, or integrated. In other words, a relationship is established in which the biasing force of the biasing means 30 acting on either the first part 41 or the second part 42 is canceled by a reaction force acting in reaction on the other part, thereby maintaining the stationary state of the reactor internals 40.

[0014] The biasing means 30 has a stick 33 that abuts against the first part 41, a sleeve 34 that houses the stick 33 and has an opening 37 at its lower end that engages with the second part 42, a spring member 35 that applies a biasing force to the stick 33 and the sleeve 34, and an adjustment unit 36 ​​that varies the amount of compression of the spring member 35 to adjust the biasing force.

[0015] The upper side of the sleeve 34, in which the spring member 35 is housed, is exposed to the outside through the hole 13 of the housing 45. This reduces the thermal influence of the heating means (not shown) installed inside the housing 45 on the spring member 35.

[0016] The heating furnace 12 of the first embodiment is equipped with a thermal shield 46 that seals the hole 13 while allowing the sleeve 34 to slidably pass through, thereby blocking heat from being released from the inside of the housing 45 to the outside, and a support member 47 that supports the thermal shield 46 from the housing 45.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the support member 47 has a pair of clamping bodies 48 (48a, 48b) that clamp the outer edge of the heat shield 46 from above and below, and a fixing ring 49 that is fixed coaxially to the hole portion 13 of the housing 45 and further fixes the clamping bodies 48 coaxially.

[0018] Here, like the other components, the upper clamping body 48a and the fixing ring 49 are preferably made of austenitic stainless steel, which has excellent mechanical rigidity, while the lower clamping body 48b and the heat shield 46 are preferably made of laminated mica or ceramic material, which has better heat insulation, sliding properties, and rigidity than stainless steel.

[0019] A sliding film 55 with excellent sliding properties is provided on the surface of the thermal shield 46 that contacts the clamping body 48a. This allows the clamping body 48a and the thermal shield 46 to move away from each other without being pulled together, avoiding deformation even if there is a difference in thermal expansion in the radial direction of each. An insulating ring 56 with better insulating properties than the thermal shield 46 is provided on the inner edge of the thermal shield 46, through which the sleeve 34 passes.

[0020] This suppresses direct heat transfer from the thermal shield 46 to the sleeve 34 while maintaining the sliding properties that allow thermal expansion of the sleeve 34 in the longitudinal direction to escape, and reduces the thermal influence of the heating means on the spring member 35. The total thickness of the thermal shield 46 and the sliding film 55 is made slightly thicker than the distance between the holding bodies 48a, 48b. Furthermore, the inner diameter of the through hole in the thermal shield 46 is made slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the sleeve 34. This further reduces the gaps formed on the surface of the thermal shield 46, improving airtightness and heat shielding properties.

[0021] The heating furnace 12 of the first embodiment is assembled in the following order: First, the furnace internals 40 are installed in the housing 45, and then the fixing ring 49, which is aligned so as to be coaxial with the sleeve 34 of the biasing means 30, is airtightly fixed to the top surface of the housing 45 by, for example, seal welding. Then, the lower clamping body 48b is placed inside the fixing ring 49 and fixed with fastening bolts or the like.

[0022] Next, the thermal shield 46 with the sleeve 34 inserted therethrough is placed on the lower clamping body 48b. The upper clamping body 48a is then fixed to the upper surface of the fixing ring 49 with fastening bolts or the like via a sealing material such as an O-ring. Here, the sliding film 55 is made of, for example, a laminated mica material or austenitic stainless steel, and the insulating ring 56 is made of an insulating material that has adhesion and flexibility, such as a heat-resistant cloth material.

[0023] The expansion joint 57 has an upper end plate 58 through which the sleeve 34 passes below the spring member 35, and a cylindrical body 59 that forms an expandable and contractible side peripheral surface of the first space 51, with the upper end plate 58 and the thermal shield 46 at both ends. Here, a bellows made of austenitic stainless steel, for example, is used for the cylindrical body 59.

[0024] The upper end plate 58 is screwed into a threaded portion (not shown) engraved on the outer periphery of the sleeve 34, allowing for height adjustment. The upper flange of the cylindrical body 59 is bolted to the upper end plate 58, and then the lower flange of the cylindrical body 59 is bolted to the upper clamping body 48a. Thereafter, the threaded portion of the sleeve 34 is tightened with a cap nut (not shown), and the upper end plate 58 is fixed to the sleeve 34.

[0025] With this configuration, the high-temperature gas inside the casing 45 is first blocked by the thermal shield 46 and is kept inside the casing 45. Then, the high-temperature gas that passes through the thermal shield 46 is held in the first space 51 of the expansion joint 57, preventing it from leaking out. This improves the heat insulating effect of the casing 45. Furthermore, if the cylindrical body 59 (bellows) biases the sleeve 34 upward, the sleeve 34 is more stably engaged with the second part 42, and the biasing force of the spring member 35 is more stably transmitted from the stick 33 to the first part 41. Furthermore, even if the second part 42 of the reactor internals 40 thermally expands in the vertical direction, this thermal expansion is absorbed by the elastic deformation of the cylindrical body 59 (bellows).

[0026] The cover 38 forms a second space 52 outside the housing 45 to accommodate the exposed sleeve 34 and the expansion joint 57, and has a suction port 53 and a suction outlet 54 for gas replacement in this second space 52.

[0027] As a result, cover 38 covers at least the upper part of biasing means 30, including spring member 35, and expansion joint 57. Cover 38 is fastened to the upper side of support member 47 (sandwich body 48a) via an O-ring (not shown) at flange 67 at the lower end. Cooling air piping (not shown) is connected to suction port 53 and suction outlet 54. Cooling air is supplied to second space 52 of cover 38 during high-temperature operation, and biasing means 30 exposed to the outside of housing 45 can be cooled to a temperature below the design temperature.

[0028] Here, gas leaking or generated from the reactor internals 40 may accumulate inside the casing 45. In particular, in the hydrogen production device 10 (FIG. 6) of the embodiment described later, even a slight leakage of hydrogen gas generated in the cell stack 21 may cause hydrogen gas to accumulate in the gaps of the hole portion 13.

[0029] Therefore, cooling air piping (not shown) is connected to the suction port 53 and the suction port 54, and cooling air is supplied to the second space 52 of the cover 38 during high-temperature operation. Then, by adjusting the flow rate and pressure of the cooling air, the static pressure in the second space 52 of the cover 38 can be made slightly negative relative to the static pressure of the casing 45. This makes it possible to discharge hydrogen gas that has accumulated in the gap of the hole 13 and in the second space 52 of the expansion joint 57 to the outside of the cover 38 together with the cooling air.

[0030] (Second embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a heating furnace according to the second embodiment. In Fig. 3, parts having the same configuration or function as those in Fig. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0031] The heating furnace of the second embodiment has a cone 43 filled with a first insulating material 61 instead of the thermal shield 46 and support member 47 of the configuration of the first embodiment described above. The heating furnace of the second embodiment is equipped with the flexible cone 43, which has a large diameter upper end connected to the hole 13 of the housing 45 and a small diameter lower end connected to the sleeve 34, and which separates the inside and outside of the housing 45, and the first insulating material 61 filled inside the cone 43 from the outside of the housing 45.

[0032] A cylindrical second insulating material 62 is attached to the outer periphery of the sleeve 34. The cone 43 is formed in a conical shape from a material such as heat-resistant fabric that is flexible and heat-resistant to temperatures higher than the operating temperature of the housing 45. The narrow-diameter lower end portion of the cone 43 is fixed to the sleeve 34 together with the lower end of the second insulating material 62 by a lower fixture 66. The wide-diameter upper end portion of the cone 43 is fixed to the upper surface of the housing 45 by an upper fixture 65 provided along the inner edge of the hole 13. The upper fixture 65 and the lower fixture 66 are fastened with, for example, a hose band to ensure the sealing of the cone 43 (heat-resistant fabric).

[0033] The heating furnace of the second embodiment is assembled in the following order. First, the biasing means 30 (FIG. 1) is assembled, and then the narrow-diameter bottom portion of the cone 43 (heat-resistant cloth) is pre-fixed to the bottom of the second insulating material 62 with the lower fixture 66. The second insulating material 62 and the cone 43 (heat-resistant cloth) thus integrated are inserted from above the sleeve 34 and fixed in place. Thereafter, the wide-diameter top portion of the cone 43 is fixed to the top surface of the housing 45 with the upper fixture 65, and the first insulating material 61 is filled in.

[0034] The first insulating material 61 is, for example, a granular insulating material. This allows the granular first insulating material 61 to flow even if the sleeve 34 thermally moves horizontally and vertically upward during high-temperature operation. This makes it possible to always fill any gaps that may form between the cone 43 and the second insulating material 62. This ensures stable insulating performance at the hole 13 of the housing 45. Note that at least one of the expansion joint 57 and the cover 38 of the first embodiment may be provided in the second embodiment. This further improves the high-temperature gas sealing performance, the cooling performance of the biasing means 30, and the function of discharging leaked hydrogen. [Example]

[0035] Next, an example in which the effects of this embodiment were confirmed will be described. Fig. 4 is a YZ side cross-sectional view of a hydrogen production device 10 (10A, 10B) showing an example of a heating furnace 12 according to each embodiment. Fig. 5 is an XZ front cross-sectional view thereof. In the hydrogen production device 10, a gas flow path 11 is fixed to a frame 15 inside the heating furnace 12, and multiple cell stacks 21 (21a, 21b, 21c, 21d) are integrated so as to sandwich this gas flow path 11 from above and below.

[0036] The hydrogen production device 10 uses a solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) to decompose water introduced as a raw material and generate hydrogen and oxygen. This SOEC utilizes the property that the higher the temperature, the less energy is required to decompose water, and is composed of a cell stack 21 (21a, 21b, 21c, 21d) that operates efficiently at approximately 700°C. This cell stack 21 is made up of a stack of ceramic single cells, and multiple cells are further integrated in series to form the electrolysis module 20.

[0037] As shown in Fig. 4, the hydrogen production device 10 is composed of a plurality of electrolysis modules 20 (six in the figure) arranged along a gas flow path 11. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 5, the hydrogen production device 10 has a combination of a plurality of (four in the figure) gas flow paths 11 (11a, 11b, 11c, 11d) (see also Fig. 7) arranged in a plurality of rows (two in the figure). The gas flow paths 11 (11a, 11b, 11c, 11d) that carry the same type of gas 19 (19a, 19b, 19c, 19d) (four types in the figure) are integrated inside the heating furnace 12, and open ends 16 (16a, 16b, 16c, 16d) are formed on the outside.

[0038] In this embodiment, the four gas flow paths 11 are composed of a water vapor inlet pipe, an air inlet pipe, a hydrogen output pipe, and an oxygen output pipe, and each of these is connected to an external open end 16 (16a, 16b, 16c, 16d). The combined set of gas flow paths 11 is sandwiched from above and below by a pair of clamping plates 18 (18a, 18b) and supported by the upper ends of legs 17 erected from a base 15, thereby being fixed to the heating furnace 12. The base 15 supports the entire weight of the gas flow paths 11 and the electrolysis module 20.

[0039] 6 is an XZ front cross-sectional view of the electrolysis module 20 constituting the hydrogen production device 10, illustrating an embodiment of the heating furnace 12. In this embodiment, the first part 41 corresponds to the upper plate 22 of the cell stack 21a, and the second part 42 corresponds to the binding plate 26.

[0040] As described above, the electrolysis module 20 of the hydrogen production device 10 includes a gas flow path 11 (11a, 11b, 11c, 11d) fixed to a frame inside the heating furnace 12, a plurality of cell stacks 21 (21a, 21b, 21c, 21d) stacked so as to sandwich the gas flow path 11 from above and below, a plurality of tie rods 25 whose lower ends are fixed to the lower plate 23 of the cell stack 21d located at the bottom and which penetrate the upper plate 22 of the cell stack 21d located at the bottom and which penetrate the lower plates 23 and upper plates 22 of the other cell stacks 21 (21a, 21b, 21c), a bundling plate 26 which bundling the upper ends of the tie rods 25 together, and a biasing means 30 which is attached to the bundling plate 26 and biases the upper plate 22 of the cell stack 21a located at the top.

[0041] The electrolysis module 20 is configured by electrically connecting in series a plurality of cell stacks 21 (21a, 21b, 21c, 21d) that are integrated with a set of gas flow paths 11 (11a, 11b, 11c, 11d) in between. A pair of power terminals (not shown) that supply power to the electrolysis modules 20 is provided on the uppermost cell stack 21a and the lowermost cell stack 21d. A unit made up of a plurality of electrolysis modules 20 arranged side by side on a set of gas flow paths 11 has power terminals of the same polarity connected in parallel by power supply wiring, and this power supply wiring is drawn from the inside to the outside of the heating furnace 12. The power supply wiring drawn from each unit is coupled in parallel and connected to a power supply system (not shown).

[0042] 7 is an XY horizontal cross-sectional view of the hydrogen production device 10 showing an example of the heating furnace 12. The gas flow path 11 is a set of gas flow path 11a that supplies high-temperature steam to the cell stack 21, gas flow path 11b that similarly supplies high-temperature air, gas flow path 11c that extracts electrolyzed hydrogen, and gas flow path 11d that extracts electrolyzed oxygen, and is fixed to a stand 15 inside the heating furnace 12 via legs 17. Note that, although the embodiment shows an example in which four gas flow paths 11 are provided in one set, there is no particular limitation on the number of gas flow paths 11.

[0043] The sandwiching plates 18 (18a, 18b) that sandwich the set of gas flow paths 11 (11a, 11b, 11c, 11d) from above and below are provided with through holes (not shown) through which tie rods 25 pass and screw holes (not shown) for fixing the cell stacks 21. Furthermore, one of the sandwiching plates 18 (18a, 18b) is provided with perforations 14 that connect to passages 27 (27a, 27b) that are linked to each of the multiple cell stacks 21.

[0044] The gas flow path 11 vertically sandwiches multiple cell stacks 21 and accumulates them. This configuration allows each cell stack 21 to share the gas flow path 11 and its peripheral components, reducing the number of parts and saving space, thereby improving the integration rate of cell stacks 21 within the heating furnace 12. Furthermore, the downsizing of the heating furnace 12 itself contributes to reducing the plant site area and costs.

[0045] The lower ends of the tie rods 25 are provided with male threads that screw into female threads that are provided in the lower plate 23 of the cell stack 21d located at the bottom. The upper ends of the tie rods 25 are also provided with male threads that are inserted into holes in the bundling plate 26 and fastened with nuts. This restricts displacement of the bundling plate 26 along the tie rods 25 and also binds the upper ends of the tie rods 25 together.

[0046] Furthermore, the tie rod 25 not only penetrates the sandwiching plates 18 (18a, 18b) of the gas flow path 11, but also penetrates the lower plate 23 and upper plate 22 of the cell stack 21 (21a, 21b, 21c). As a result, when the uppermost cell stack 21a is urged toward the gas flow path 11 by the urging means 30, the reaction force acts via the tie rod 25 and urges the lowermost cell stack 21d toward the gas flow path 11. In this way, the same compressive force is applied uniformly to all of the cell stacks 21 (21a, 21b, 21c, 21d).

[0047] The cell stack 21 is mainly made of ceramics, while the tie rods 25 and other structural materials are made of austenitic stainless steel. Therefore, when the electrolysis module 20 is heated to a high temperature in the heating furnace 12, the relative positional relationship between the cell stack 21 and surrounding structures changes slightly due to differences in thermal expansion. However, the compressive force acting on the cell stack 21 (21a, 21b, 21c, 21d) is maintained constant because it is applied from the biasing means 30 only via the tie rods 25.

[0048] The biasing means 30 has a stick 33 that is acted upon by a spring member 35 and comes into contact with the upper plate 22 (first part 41) of the cell stack 21a, and a sleeve 34 that houses the spring member 35 and the stick 33 and has an opening 37 at its lower end that engages with the binding plate 26 (second part 42).

[0049] A disc spring is preferably used as the spring member 35. The elastic force generated by the elastic deformation of this spring member 35 becomes the compressive force applied to the cell stack 21 (21a, 21b, 21c, 21d). The spring member 35 is initially set so that this compressive force does not exceed the maximum allowable load (approximately 5 kN) of the cell stack 21. Note that this compressive force can also be adjusted by the number of disc springs installed as the spring member 35.

[0050] In the biasing means 30, an adjustment part 36 that adjusts the amount of compression of the spring member 35 is screwed into the sleeve 34. This adjustment part 36 is provided at the top of the sleeve 34 and abuts against the opposite end of the spring member 35, one end of which is in contact with the top of the stick 33. By screwing in this adjustment part 36, the spring member 35 expands and contracts, making it possible to adjust the compressive force applied to the cell stack 21 (21a, 21b, 21c, 21d).

[0051] The tip of stick 33 protruding from opening 37 of sleeve 34 is formed into a spherical surface. This allows the elastic force generated by spring member 35 to be stably transmitted as a compressive force to upper plate 22 even if stick 33 abuts against upper plate 22 at a slight angle.

[0052] The upper end of the sleeve 34 that houses the spring member 35 inside is exposed to the outside of the heating furnace 12. The heating furnace 12 is provided with a hole 13 large enough to allow the sleeve 34 of the urging means 30 to pass through, and a cover 38 is provided to cover the upper end of the urging means 30 exposed through the hole 13 and seal the inside and outside of the heating furnace 12.

[0053] By removing this cover 38, it is possible to operate the adjustment unit 36 ​​and adjust the compressive force applied to the cell stack 21 (21a, 21b, 21c, 21d) even during operation of the hydrogen production device 10. Furthermore, because the spring member 35 is exposed to the outside of the heating furnace 12, it is possible to reduce the thermal influence and avoid the stress relaxation phenomenon, in which elastic force decreases over time.

[0054] In the electrolysis module 20 of the hydrogen production device 10 shown in Fig. 6, the passages 27 (27a, 27b) connecting the gas flow passage 11 and the cell stacks 21 are connected via an external connection. That is, the gas (water vapor) flowing through the gas flow passage 11a first flows through the passage 27a arranged externally and is then supplied to each of the cell stacks 21 (21a, 21b, 21c, 21d). Then, the gas (oxygen) produced by an electrochemical reaction while passing through each cell stack 21 is first output to the passage 27b arranged externally and then flows through the gas flow passage 11d.

[0055] Although not shown in the figure, gas (air) flowing through gas flow path 11b is similarly supplied to cell stack 21. Gas (hydrogen) generated in cell stack 21 is also similarly output and then flows through gas flow path 11c. By making the lengths of the passages 27 connecting gas flow path 11 to cell stack 21 equal, pressure losses can be matched and gas (water vapor, air) can be supplied evenly to each of cell stacks 21 (21a, 21b, 21c, 21d).

[0056] According to at least one embodiment of the heating furnace described above, by exposing the upper side of the sleeve in which the spring member is housed to the outside through a hole in the housing in which the furnace internals are arranged, it becomes possible to stably apply a compressive load to the furnace internals and to safely discharge gas generated or leaked from the furnace internals to the outside of the furnace.

[0057] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, modifications, and combinations can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as the inventions described in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 10 (10A, 10B)...Hydrogen production device, 11 (11a, 11b, 11c, 11d)...Gas flow path, 12...Heater, 13...Hole, 14...Perforation, 15...Frame, 16...Open end, 17...Leg, 18...Clip plate, 19...Gas, 20 (20A, 20B)...Electrolysis module, 21 (21a, 21b, 21c, 21d)...Cell stack, 22...Upper plate, 23...Lower plate, 25...Tie rod, 26...Binding plate, 27 (27a, 27b)...Passage, 30...Biasing means, 31...First locking piece, 32...Second locking piece, 33...Stick, 34...Three hub, 35...spring member, 36...adjustment portion, 37...opening, 38...cover, 40...furnace internal structure, 41...first part, 42...second part, 43...cone, 45...casing, 46...thermal shield, 47...support member, 48...clamp, 48a...upper clamp, 48b...lower clamp, 49...fixing ring, 51...first space, 52...second space, 53...suction port, 54...suction port, 55...sliding film, 56...insulating ring, 57...expansion joint, 58...upper end plate, 59...cylindrical body, 61...first insulating material, 62...second insulating material, 65...upper fixing device, 66...lower fixing device, 67...flange.

Claims

1. a stick that biases a first part of a furnace internal structure to be heated by the action of a spring member; a sleeve having an opening for allowing the stick to be accommodated to protrude from the bottom side thereof, the opening being engaged with a second part of the reactor internal structure; a housing in which the furnace internal structure is disposed and which exposes the upper side of the sleeve housing the spring member to the outside through a hole.

2. 2. The heating furnace according to claim 1, a thermal shield that seals the hole while allowing the sleeve to slidably pass through and blocks heat from being released from the inside of the housing to the outside; a support member that supports the thermal shield from the housing.

3. 3. The heating furnace according to claim 2, wherein the support member is a pair of clamping bodies that clamp the outer edge of the thermal shield from above and below; a fixing ring that is fixed coaxially to the hole of the housing and that further fixes the clamping body coaxially.

4. 4. The heating furnace according to claim 3, A heating furnace in which a sliding film having excellent sliding properties is provided on the surface of the heat shield that contacts the holding body.

5. The heating furnace according to claim 3 or 4, The heating furnace has an insulating ring provided on the inner edge of the thermal shield through which the sleeve passes, the insulating ring having better insulating properties than the thermal shield.

6. 3. The heating furnace according to claim 2, an upper end plate through which the sleeve passes below the spring member; a cylindrical body that forms a side peripheral surface of a first space having the upper end plate and the heat shield as both ends thereof so as to be expandable and contractible.

7. 7. The heating furnace according to claim 6, a second space is formed outside the housing to accommodate the exposed sleeve and the expansion joint; a heating furnace provided with a cover having a suction port and a suction outlet for gas replacement in the second space;

8. 2. The heating furnace according to claim 1, a flexible cone body that is formed in a conical shape, has an upper end with a large diameter portion connected to the hole of the housing and a lower end with a small diameter portion connected to the sleeve, and separates the inside and outside of the housing; a heat insulating material filled from the outside of the housing to the inside of the cone.

9. The heating furnace according to claim 1 or 2, a gas flow path fixed to a base inside the housing; a plurality of cell stacks integrated so as to sandwich the gas flow path from above and below; a plurality of tie rods whose lower ends are fixed to the lower plate of the cell stack located at the bottom and which penetrate the upper plate thereof, and which also penetrate the lower plates and upper plates of the other cell stacks; a binding plate for binding the upper end of each of the tie rods, an upper plate of the cell stack that receives the action of the spring member and comes into contact with the stick is defined as the first part; The heating furnace, wherein the second part is the binding plate that engages the opening of the sleeve.

10. 10. The heating furnace according to claim 9, a plurality of electrolysis modules each comprising the spring member, the stick, the sleeve, the first part, and the second part are arranged along the gas flow path; Furthermore, the arrays of the electrolysis modules are arranged in a plurality of rows, A heating furnace in which each of the gas flow paths through which the same type of gas flows is integrated inside the housing and has an open end outside the housing.

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