Hydrogen production system

Abstract

This invention provides a hydrogen production system that can control the production amounts of hydrogen and oxygen to an appropriate level. [Solution] The hydrogen production system according to this disclosure comprises a photovoltaic power generation device 11, a hydrogen production device 13 that produces hydrogen and oxygen by electrolyzing water using electricity obtained from the photovoltaic power generation device 11, a hydrogen tank 21 for storing the produced hydrogen, an oxygen tank 22 for storing the produced oxygen, a hydrogen combustor 23 for burning hydrogen and oxygen, and a measuring device 24 for measuring the heating efficiency of the hydrogen combustor 23, and the heating efficiency is fed back to the hydrogen production device 13.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a hydrogen production system.

Background Art

[0002] In Patent Document 1, when the generated power of a photovoltaic power generation device is greater than the power consumption of a load, the generated power of the photovoltaic power generation device is used to operate a hydrogen production device, and surplus power is stored in a storage battery. When the generated power of the photovoltaic power generation device is less than the power consumption of the hydrogen production device, a photovoltaic power generation system that operates the hydrogen production device using the generated power of the photovoltaic power generation device and the discharge power of the storage battery is disclosed. The photovoltaic power generation system of Patent Document 1 includes a storage amount measuring device that measures the storage amount of the storage battery, and a controller that sets the power consumption of the hydrogen production device based on the measured value by the storage amount measuring device and operates the hydrogen production device with the set power consumption.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The hydrogen production device of Patent Document 1 may produce hydrogen and oxygen in excess.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a hydrogen production system capable of appropriately managing the production amounts of hydrogen and oxygen.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A hydrogen production system according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a solar power generation device, a hydrogen production device that produces hydrogen and oxygen by electrolyzing water using electricity obtained from the solar power generation device, a hydrogen tank for storing the produced hydrogen, an oxygen tank for storing the produced oxygen, a hydrogen combustor for burning the hydrogen and oxygen, and a measuring device for measuring the heating efficiency of the hydrogen combustor, with the heating efficiency being fed back to the hydrogen production device.

[0007] In the hydrogen production system described above, at least one of the ambient temperature and sunlight conditions may be taken into consideration when operating the hydrogen production apparatus. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] This disclosure provides a hydrogen production system that can control the production amounts of hydrogen and oxygen to an appropriate level. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram illustrating a hydrogen production system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view illustrating a hydrogen combustor in the hydrogen production system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram illustrating a hydrogen production system according to Embodiment 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The specific configuration of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. The following description illustrates preferred embodiments of the disclosure, and the scope of the disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in this embodiment are necessarily essential as means to solve the problem. For clarity of explanation, the following descriptions and drawings have been omitted and simplified as appropriate. In each drawing, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations have been omitted as necessary.

[0011] <Embodiment 1> The hydrogen production system in this embodiment will now be described. Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating a hydrogen production system 100 according to Embodiment 1. As shown in Figure 1, the hydrogen production system 100 includes a solar power generation device 11, a hydrogen production device 13, a hydrogen tank 21, an oxygen tank 22, a hydrogen combustor 23, and a measuring device 24. The hydrogen production system 100 may further include a battery 12, a power conditioner, a power meter 15, a storage amount meter 16, and a controller 17. Hereinafter, the power conditioner will be abbreviated as powercon 14.

[0012] The solar power generation device 11 has the function of converting solar energy into electricity. The solar power generation device 11 supplies the converted electricity to the power conditioner 14, for example.

[0013] The hydrogen production device 13 produces hydrogen and oxygen by electrolyzing water using electricity obtained from the solar power generation device 11. The hydrogen production device 13 may also use electricity supplied from the power conditioner 14 to electrolyze water. Therefore, the hydrogen production device 13 is a load that consumes electricity supplied from the power conditioner 14. As the power consumption of the hydrogen production device 13 increases, the amount of hydrogen produced per unit time also increases. The rated power of the hydrogen production device 13 may be less than the rated output power of the solar power generation device 11. In this case, the power generated by the solar power generation device 11 may be greater than the power consumption of the hydrogen production device 13. Any surplus power generated by the solar power generation device 11 (power that was not consumed by the hydrogen production device 13) is stored in the battery 12.

[0014] The power conditioner 14 supplies power from the solar power generation system 11 to at least one of the storage battery 12 and the hydrogen production device 13. The power conditioner 14 also supplies power from the storage battery 12 to the hydrogen production device 13 by discharging the storage battery 12. The power conditioner 14 controls the charging and discharging of the storage battery 12. Specifically, if the power consumption of the hydrogen production device 13 is less than the power generated by the solar power generation system 11, the power conditioner 14 supplies power from the solar power generation system 11 to the hydrogen production device 13 to meet the power consumption of the hydrogen production device 13, and supplies surplus power to the storage battery 12. On the other hand, if the power consumption of the hydrogen production device 13 is greater than the power generated by the solar power generation system 11, the power conditioner 14 supplies power from the solar power generation system 11 and the storage battery 12 to the hydrogen production device 13 to meet the power consumption of the hydrogen production device 13.

[0015] The power meter 15 is installed in the solar power generation system 11. The power meter 15 measures the power generated by the solar power generation system 11, that is, the output power from the solar power generation system 11 to the power conditioner 14. The power meter 15 outputs a signal representing the measured value of the output power to the controller 17.

[0016] The energy storage amount meter 16 is installed in the battery 12. The energy storage amount meter 16 measures the amount of energy stored in the battery 12. The energy storage amount meter 16 outputs a signal representing the measured value of the measured energy storage amount to the controller 17.

[0017] The controller 17 is a computer system having a CPU, GPU, ROM, RAM, storage medium (e.g., semiconductor memory or hard disk drive), input device, display device, bus, and hardware interface. The controller 17 stores the program 18 in the storage medium. According to the program 18, the controller 17 decides whether or not to start the hydrogen production device 13 while it is stopped, based on the power measurement value input from the power meter 15 and the energy storage measurement value input from the energy storage meter 16. If a decision to start is made, the controller 17 outputs a start signal to the hydrogen production device 13 to start the hydrogen production device 13.

[0018] Further, according to the program 18, the controller 17 sets the power consumption of the hydrogen production device 13 based on the power measurement value input from the power meter 15 and the power storage amount measurement value input from the power storage amount meter 16, and outputs a signal representing the set power consumption to the hydrogen production device 13. Thereby, the hydrogen production device 13 operates so that its power consumption becomes the set power consumption. Further, the controller 17 stores the history of the measurement value input from the power meter 15 as a data string 19 in a storage medium.

[0019] Also, according to the program 18, during the operation of the hydrogen production device 13, the controller 17 determines whether to stop the hydrogen production device 13 based on the power storage amount measurement value input from the power storage amount meter 16. When the determination to stop is made, the controller 17 outputs a stop signal to the hydrogen production device 13 to stop the hydrogen production device 13.

[0020] The hydrogen tank 21 stores the hydrogen produced by the hydrogen production device 13. The hydrogen tank 21 has an inlet through which hydrogen flows in and an outlet through which hydrogen flows out. The inlet may be constituted by the same opening as the outlet, or may be constituted by separate openings. Valves for controlling the inflow amount and outflow amount of hydrogen are provided at the inlet and the outlet. The inflow amount and outflow amount of hydrogen may be controlled, for example, by the controller 17 that adjusts the opening and closing of the valves.

[0021] The oxygen tank 22 stores the oxygen produced by the hydrogen production device 13. The oxygen tank 22 has an inlet through which oxygen flows in and an outlet through which oxygen flows out. The inlet may be constituted by the same opening as the outlet, or may be constituted by separate openings. Valves for controlling the inflow amount and outflow amount of oxygen are provided at the inlet and the outlet. The inflow amount of oxygen and the outflow amount of hydrogen may be controlled, for example, by the controller 17 that adjusts the opening and closing of the valves.

[0022] The hydrogen combustor 23 burns hydrogen and oxygen. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the hydrogen combustor 23 in the hydrogen production system 100 according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the hydrogen combustor 23 burns the hydrogen flowing out from the hydrogen tank 21 and the oxygen flowing out from the oxygen tank 22. The hydrogen combustor 23 burns hydrogen with an appropriate distribution of oxygen according to the heating efficiency.

[0023] The measuring device 24 measures the heating efficiency of the hydrogen combustor 23. For example, the measuring device 24 may measure the heating efficiency by calculating the heating time. The measuring device 24 may measure the combustion efficiency. The measuring device 24 may output a signal indicating at least one of the measured heating efficiency and combustion efficiency to the controller 17. The controller 17 may feedback the heating efficiency or the like to the hydrogen production device 13. The measuring device 24 may feedback the measured heating efficiency or the like to the hydrogen production device 13.

[0024] The hydrogen production system 100 of the present embodiment operates the hydrogen production device 13 by using surplus power obtained by solar power generation by the solar power generation device 11. Specifically, the hydrogen production system 100 provides surplus power to the hydrogen production device 13 that performs electrolysis of water using the surplus power from the solar power generation device 11. Thereby, the hydrogen production device 13 generates hydrogen and oxygen by using the surplus power from the solar power generation device 11.

[0025] The hydrogen production system 100 of the present embodiment includes a hydrogen tank 21 and an oxygen tank 22 that store the generated hydrogen and oxygen. In related technologies such as Cited Document 1, the generated oxygen is discarded without being utilized. The oxygen generated by the hydrogen production device 13 has a high purity. Therefore, in related technologies, since the highly pure and high-value oxygen generated during hydrogen production is discarded, it cannot be reduced to the production cost of hydrogen, and it is difficult to reduce the production cost of hydrogen.

[0026] In this embodiment, the hydrogen production system 100 utilizes the generated oxygen in a hydrogen combustor 23 operating around the hydrogen production device 13. Therefore, the value of the high-purity, high-value oxygen can be converted into the hydrogen production cost, thereby reducing the overall hydrogen production cost.

[0027] On the other hand, even when storing the generated oxygen, unplanned storage can lead to wasted storage space. Therefore, it is desirable to constantly monitor the optimal amount of oxygen to store (storage space).

[0028] In the hydrogen production system 100 of this embodiment, the measuring device 24 measures the heating efficiency of the hydrogen combustor 23. The heating efficiency calculated by hydrogen combustion is then fed back to the hydrogen production device 13. For example, the controller 17 provides feedback control to the amount of oxygen produced and stored by the hydrogen production device 13 based on the heating efficiency calculated by hydrogen combustion. Specifically, for example, if the heating efficiency is high and the amount of oxygen used is low, the controller 17 reduces the amount of oxygen produced and stored by the hydrogen production device 13. On the other hand, if the heating efficiency is low and the amount of oxygen used is high, the controller 17 increases the amount of oxygen produced and stored by the hydrogen production device 13. As a result, the hydrogen production system 100 of this embodiment can determine the optimal amount of oxygen to store (storage space), and thus can suppress the expansion of storage space. Note that the relationship between heating efficiency and oxygen use described above is just one example.

[0029] Thus, the hydrogen production system 100 of this embodiment minimizes the amount of oxygen stored, improving storage efficiency and ensuring an optimal supply of oxygen for hydrogen combustion efficiency. As a result, the hydrogen production system 100 of this embodiment not only utilizes the generated hydrogen but also stores a minimum amount of excess oxygen. Furthermore, by burning the hydrogen in the hydrogen combustor 23, the hydrogen production system 100 of this embodiment achieves efficient energy utilization and a reduction in environmental impact.

[0030] <Embodiment 2> Next, a hydrogen production system according to Embodiment 2 will be described. In the operation of the hydrogen production device 13, sunlight conditions and the like are taken into consideration. Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating the hydrogen production system 200 according to Embodiment 2. As shown in Figure 3, in the hydrogen production system 200 of this embodiment, the hydrogen combustor 23 is, as a premise, located in an environment affected by weather, including at least one of ambient temperature and sunlight conditions. The hydrogen combustor 23 is configured to increase or decrease the supply of hydrogen and oxygen depending on the weather.

[0031] The controller 17 may store the relationship between the heating efficiency of hydrogen combustion in the hydrogen combustor 23 in the past and the weather (outside temperature, sunshine conditions) as a data sequence 19. The controller 17 predicts the required amount of hydrogen and oxygen from the relationship between the heating efficiency and the weather (outside temperature, sunshine conditions).

[0032] For example, controller 17 stores the amounts of hydrogen and oxygen previously required at an ambient temperature of 20°C as A20 and B20, respectively. Controller 17 also stores the heating efficiency at an ambient temperature of 20°C as C20.

[0033] Furthermore, the controller 17 stores the amounts of hydrogen and oxygen previously required at an ambient temperature of 0°C as A0 and B0, respectively. The controller 17 also stores the heating efficiency at an ambient temperature of 0°C as C0.

[0034] In this case, the controller 17 predicts that the required amounts of hydrogen and oxygen at an outside temperature of 10°C are A10 and B10, respectively. The controller 17 also predicts that the heating efficiency at an outside temperature of 10°C is C10. The controller 17 may also predict the required amounts of hydrogen and oxygen in relation to sunlight conditions such as sunshine duration, not just the outside temperature. Furthermore, the controller 17 may predict the amount of power generated by the solar power generation device 11 based on the weather (outside temperature, sunlight conditions). Based on the predicted amount of power generated, the controller 17 may then predict the amount of oxygen and hydrogen produced.

[0035] Thus, the hydrogen production system 200 of this embodiment predicts the required amount of hydrogen and oxygen based on the heating efficiency from past hydrogen combustion and weather conditions (outside temperature, sunlight conditions), and stores only the necessary amount of hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen production system 100 may predict the required amount of hydrogen and oxygen for several days. The hydrogen production system 200 then stores only the necessary amount of hydrogen and oxygen for several days. In addition, the controller 17 may instruct the hydrogen production device 13 to store an amount of oxygen based on the heating efficiency calculated from past hydrogen combustion.

[0036] In this way, the hydrogen production system 100 not only utilizes the generated hydrogen but also stores a minimum amount of excess oxygen and burns it in the hydrogen combustor 23, thereby achieving efficient energy use and a reduction in environmental impact.

[0037] According to this embodiment, when the hydrogen combustor 23 is in an environment susceptible to weather conditions (outside temperature, sunlight conditions), the hydrogen production system 200 can accurately control the amount of hydrogen and oxygen produced.

[0038] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, a combination of the configurations of Embodiments 1 and 2 is also within the scope of the technical concept of this embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 11. Solar power generation equipment 12 Storage batteries 13 Hydrogen production equipment 14 Powercon 15 Power Measuring Instruments 16. Energy storage capacity measuring instrument 17 Controllers 18 Programs 19 Data Columns 21 Hydrogen tanks 22 oxygen tanks 23 Hydrogen Combustor 24 Measuring device 100, 200 hydrogen production systems

Claims

1. Solar power generation equipment, A hydrogen production apparatus that produces hydrogen and oxygen by electrolyzing water using electricity obtained from the aforementioned solar power generation apparatus, A hydrogen tank for storing the hydrogen produced, An oxygen tank for storing the manufactured oxygen, A hydrogen combustor for burning the hydrogen and the oxygen, A measuring device for measuring the heating efficiency of the hydrogen combustor, Equipped with, The aforementioned heating efficiency is fed back to the hydrogen production apparatus. Hydrogen production system.

2. In the operation of the hydrogen production apparatus, at least one of the outside temperature and sunlight conditions is taken into consideration. The hydrogen production system according to claim 1.

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