Heat insulation device

Abstract

To provide a heat insulation device capable of controlling heat insulation performance of a component of which the temperature changes, etc., in accordance with the temperature.SOLUTION: A heat insulation device 110 comprises a heat insulated component 20 being a component of which the temperature changes, and a heat insulation material 21 covering the heat insulated component 20. The heat insulation material 21 includes a first heat insulation material 35 abutted to a first surface 34 of the heat insulated component 20, and a second heat insulation material 37 abutted to a second surface 36 which is a surface of the heat insulated component 20 adjacent with the first surface 34. The first heat insulation material 35 and the second heat insulation material 37 are abutted at a corner 25 of the heat insulated component 20. Furthermore, the heat insulation material 21 comprises a hinge part 40 formed by coupling the first heat insulation material 35 and the second heat insulation material 37, and an opening / closing part 26 which is opened / closed with the hinge part 40 defined as a fulcrum so as to change a clearance between the first heat insulation material 35 and the second heat insulation material 37 at the corner 25 in accordance with expansion or shrinkage of the heat insulated component 20 caused by the temperature change.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a heat insulation device in which components operated in a predetermined temperature state are covered with a heat insulating material.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a gas cogeneration in which a plate-shaped heat insulating material is arranged around a generator including a fuel cell, an evaporation section, a reforming section, and a combustion section, and these are supported by a housing.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In order for a fuel cell system to generate electricity efficiently, temperature management of internal components and other components or devices constituting the fuel cell system (hereinafter referred to as components, etc.) is important. Further, since the components, etc. constituting the fuel cell system are formed of metal, they expand due to heat generated during power generation or the like. Therefore, it is desirable to consider thermal expansion in the temperature management of the components, etc.

[0005] However, in conventional fuel cell systems, no consideration is given to the thermal expansion of components, etc. For this reason, for example, when thermal expansion occurs, a gap may be generated between the components, etc. and the heat insulating material, resulting in a decrease in heat insulating performance and inappropriate temperature management may occur. In addition, when the components, etc. expand thermally, more heat insulating performance than necessary may be maintained, resulting in an increase in energy consumption for temperature management.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a heat insulation device capable of controlling the heat insulation performance of components, etc. constituting a fuel cell system and components, etc. whose temperature changes according to the temperature.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] One aspect of the present invention includes a component whose temperature changes and a heat insulating material that covers the component. The heat insulating material includes a first heat insulating material that abuts against a first surface of the component and a second heat insulating material that abuts against a second surface of the component, which is a surface adjacent to the first surface. The heat insulating device is such that the first heat insulating material and the second heat insulating material abut at a corner of the component. In this heat insulating device, the heat insulating material includes a hinge portion formed by joining the first heat insulating material and the second heat insulating material, and an opening / closing portion that opens and closes with the hinge portion as a fulcrum so that a gap between the first heat insulating material and the second heat insulating material at the corner changes in response to expansion or contraction of the component due to temperature changes.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a heat insulating device capable of controlling the heat insulating performance of components whose temperature changes according to the temperature.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

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BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the schematic configuration of a fuel cell system 100. The fuel cell system 100 is installed, for example, under the floor of a vehicle as a power generation device for obtaining electric power used in the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel cell system 100 includes, for example, a first fuel cell stack 10 (STK1), a second fuel cell stack 11 (STK2), a combustor 13 (CMB), and a heat exchanger 14 (HEX).

[0012] The first fuel cell stack 10 and the second fuel cell stack 11 are each configured by stacking a plurality of fuel cells that are power generation sources. The individual fuel cells constituting the first fuel cell stack 10 and the second fuel cell stack 11 are, for example, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs: Solid Oxide Fuel Cells).

[0013] The first fuel cell stack 10 is a so-called internally reforming type fuel cell stack, which reforms the raw fuel supplied from the injector 15 and uses it for power generation. The raw fuel is, for example, methane (CH 4 ) or other hydrocarbons, or methanol or other alcohols, etc.

[0014] The second fuel cell stack 11 is a fuel cell stack that generates power using the fuel remaining in the exhaust gas of the first fuel cell stack 10. For this reason, the second fuel cell stack 11 is arranged downstream along the fuel flow path. In the present embodiment, the first fuel cell stack 10 and the second fuel cell stack 11 are shown as separate bodies for convenience of explanation, but the first fuel cell stack 10 and the second fuel cell stack 11 may be integrated to form one fuel cell stack.

[0015] The oxidant used by the first fuel cell stack 10 and the second fuel cell stack 11 for power generation is, for example, oxygen contained in air. In the present embodiment, the blower 16 supplies air as an oxidant gas (so-called cathode gas) to the first fuel cell stack 10 and the second fuel cell stack 11. More specifically, the air, which is the oxidant gas, is supplied from the blower 16 to the second fuel cell stack 11, used for the power generation reaction in the second fuel cell stack 11, then further supplied to the first fuel cell stack 10, used for the power generation reaction in the first fuel cell stack 10, and then discharged.

[0016] The combustor 13 mixes the exhaust gas of the fuel used for power generation in the first fuel cell stack 10 and the second fuel cell stack 11 (so-called anode off-gas) and the exhaust of the oxidant gas (so-called cathode off-gas), and catalytically burns them. The combustion gas generated thereby is discharged outside the fuel cell system 100 through the heat exchanger 14.

[0017] The heat exchanger 14 heats the air supplied by the blower 16 to the first fuel cell stack 10 and the second fuel cell stack 11 with the heat of the combustion gas.

[0018] In this embodiment, the combustor 13 and the heat exchanger 14 are integrally formed to constitute a gas process unit (GPU) 17.

[0019] Note that in the fuel cell system 100, there are two paths for the blower 16 to supply air to the second fuel cell stack 11, namely, the first air supply path 18 and the second air supply path 19. The first air supply path 18 is a path for supplying heated air to the second fuel cell stack 11 via the heat exchanger 14. The second air supply path 19 is a path for supplying air to the second fuel cell stack 11 without passing through the heat exchanger 14 and without heating.

[0020] For example, when warming up to start the fuel cell system 100, air is supplied to the first fuel cell stack 10 and the second fuel cell stack 11 through the first air supply path 18. On the other hand, after the fuel cell system 100 is started, air is supplied through the first air supply path 18 and the second air supply path 19, or the second air supply path 19. This is to maintain the temperatures of the first fuel cell stack 10 and the second fuel cell stack 11 at a predetermined temperature determined according to power generation efficiency, durability, etc. by cooling the first fuel cell stack 10 and / or the second fuel cell stack 11 as needed.

[0021] In the fuel cell system 100 configured as described above, components or devices that should suppress heat transfer to the outside and manage their temperatures are, for example, the first fuel cell stack 10, the second fuel cell stack 11, the combustor 13, and the heat exchanger 14. Therefore, the first fuel cell stack 10, the second fuel cell stack 11, the combustor 13, and the heat exchanger 14 are covered with a heat insulating material 21 (see FIG. 2). Hereinafter, components or devices to be heat-insulated such as the first fuel cell stack 10, the second fuel cell stack 11, the combustor 13, and the heat exchanger 14 are referred to as heat-insulated components 20 (see FIG. 2). Note that the covering of the heat-insulated components 20 with the heat insulating material 21 means that at least a part of the heat-insulated components 20 is covered with the heat insulating material 21, and it is not necessary that all of the heat-insulated components 20 are completely covered with the heat insulating material 21.

[0022] Also, in the present embodiment, among various heat-insulated components 20 in the fuel cell system 100, the first fuel cell stack 10 and the second fuel cell stack 11 are each covered with a heat-insulating material 21. On the other hand, since the combustor 13 and the heat exchanger 14 are integrated to form the gas process unit 17, the entire combustor 13 and the heat exchanger 14 are covered with the heat-insulating material 21 as the entire gas process unit 17. Hereinafter, the heat-insulated component 20 covered with the heat-insulating material 21 is referred to as a heat insulation device 110 (see FIG. 2). Therefore, in the present embodiment, the first fuel cell stack 10 covered with the heat-insulating material 21, the second fuel cell stack 11 covered with the heat-insulating material 21, and the gas process unit 17 covered with the heat-insulating material 21 are each the heat insulation device 110.

[0023] Note that the entire first fuel cell stack 10 and the second fuel cell stack 11 may be covered with the heat-insulating material 21, or the combustor 13 and the heat exchanger 14 may each be covered with the heat-insulating material 21. In addition, the entire heat-insulated component 20 may be covered with the heat-insulating material 21, or the entire fuel cell system 100 including the heat-insulated component 20 may be covered with the heat-insulating material 21.

[0024] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the heat insulation device 110. As shown in FIG. 2, the heat insulation device 110 includes a heat-insulated component 20, a heat-insulating material 21, and a case 22 surrounding the outer periphery thereof.

[0025] Since the heat-insulated components 20 are all formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape or the like, there are, for example, four corner portions in a cross-sectional view. In the present embodiment, the configuration of the heat-insulating material 21 will be described in detail for one of these corner portions, 25, but the same applies to the other three corner portions.

[0026] The heat-insulated component 20 has its temperature changed according to the operating state of the fuel cell system 100 and / or the operating state of the heat-insulated component 20 itself. For example, the temperature of the heat-insulated component 20 changes due to heat generation by the heat-insulated component 20 itself or heating or cooling from other heat-insulated components 20 or the like. And since all of the heat-insulated components 20 contain a lot of metal materials, when their temperature changes due to heat generation or cooling or the like, they expand or contract according to the amount of heat generation or cooling. The operating state of the fuel cell system 100 as a whole is determined, for example, by the amount of power generation required from a vehicle or the like on which it is mounted. The operating state of the heat-insulated component 20 is, for example, the respective supply amounts of fuel and air, the amount of heat generation, etc., and is controlled so as to achieve a predetermined amount of power generation.

[0027] The heat insulating material 21 is arranged in contact with the heat-insulated component 20 and reduces the heat transfer between the heat-insulated component 20 and the outside world. In particular, the heat insulating material 21 of the present embodiment does not always maintain a constant heat insulating performance, but changes the heat insulating performance according to the operating state of the fuel cell system 100 and / or the heat-insulated component 20. The change in the heat insulating performance here means that the heat insulating state and the state where the heat insulation is broken do not simply switch, but the heat insulating performance is controlled (finely adjusted) within the range of maintaining the required heat insulating performance. For the control of this heat insulating performance, the heat insulating material 21 is provided with opening / closing portions 26 at the corner portion 25 and other respective corner portions.

[0028] The opening / closing portion 26 is a portion that opens and closes according to the expansion or contraction of the heat-insulated component 20. When the opening / closing portion 26 opens, the heat insulating performance of the heat insulating material 21 is enhanced. Conversely, when the opening / closing portion 26 closes, the heat insulating performance of the heat insulating material 21 is reduced within the range where the required heat insulating performance is maintained. As will be described in detail later, the opening / closing portion 26 has two specific forms: an outward-opening opening / closing portion 26a (see FIG. 3) formed by a slit that opens outward and an inward-opening opening / closing portion 26b (see FIG. 5) formed by a slit that opens inward. The inside means the side where the heat-insulated component 20 is located with respect to the heat insulating material 21, and the outside means the side where the case 22 and the outside world of the heat insulating device 110 are located.

[0029] The case 22 is made of metal, for example. Therefore, it can be deformed to some extent according to the expansion or contraction of the heat-insulated component 20.

[0030] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the corner portion 25 having the outward-opening opening / closing portion 26a in the heat-insulating material 21. FIG. 3(A) shows the state where the heat-insulated component 20 has contracted, and FIG. 3(B) shows the state where the heat-insulated component 20 has expanded. The broken line in FIG. 3(B) represents the outer shape of the heat-insulated component 20 in the contracted state.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 3, the heat-insulating material 21 is formed, for example, by laminating the particulate heat-insulating material 31 and the fibrous heat-insulating material 32 and covering them with the covering material 33.

[0032] The particulate heat-insulating material 31 is formed, for example, by molding an inorganic compound containing fumed silica or fumed alumina having a particle size from the micron size to the nano size, and is porous. The particulate heat-insulating material 31 is generally rigid, and even when pressed by the expansion of the heat-insulated component 20, almost no external shape change occurs. Although the particulate heat-insulating material 31 is not a perfect rigid body, when there are the hinge portion 40 and the opening / closing portion 26 (here, the outward-opening opening / closing portion 26a) as described later, it can be bent to the extent that it can follow the external shape change due to the expansion or contraction of the heat-insulated component 20.

[0033] The fibrous heat-insulating material 32 is a cotton-like heat-insulating material made of a ceramic material, for example, and has flexibility. More specifically, the fibrous heat-insulating material 32 is a heat-resistant heat-insulating material formed by bundling needle-like substances such as silica or alumina into a fibrous shape. The fibrous heat-insulating material 32 functions as a heat-insulating buffer material for allowing the movement of the particulate heat-insulating material 31 corresponding thereto when pressed by the expansion of the heat-insulated component 20.

[0034] The covering material 33 is a thin cloth-like heat insulating material having flexibility and heat resistance. The covering material 33 covers the laminate of the particle heat insulating material 31 and the fiber heat insulating material 32 and integrates them. The covering material 33 is formed, for example, in a cylindrical (sleeve-like) shape. After the particle heat insulating material 31 and the fiber heat insulating material 32 are inserted, the end portion serving as the entrance is sewn or adhered, etc., to accommodate the particle heat insulating material 31 and the fiber heat insulating material 32. The covering material 33 is formed, for example, by weaving silica fibers.

[0035] The heat insulating material 21 includes, at the corner portion 25, a first heat insulating material 35 that abuts on the first surface 34 which is a surface of the component to be heat-insulated 20, and a second heat insulating material 37 that abuts on the second surface 36 which is another surface of the component to be heat-insulated 20 adjacent to the first surface 34. And at the corner portion 25 of the component to be heat-insulated 20, these first heat insulating material 35 and second heat insulating material 37 abut.

[0036] In the heat insulating material 21 of the present embodiment, at the corner portion 25, the first heat insulating material 35 and the second heat insulating material 37 are joined in part to form a hinge portion 40. Thereby, an opening / closing portion 26 is formed. The opening / closing portion 26 opens and closes the first heat insulating material 35 and the second heat insulating material 37 with the hinge portion 40 as a fulcrum, and changes the size (volume) of the gap between the first heat insulating material 35 and the second heat insulating material 37. More specifically, in FIG. 3, since the first heat insulating material 35 and the second heat insulating material 37 are joined inside to form the hinge portion 40, the formed opening / closing portion 26 becomes an outward-opening opening / closing portion 26a.

[0037] This outward-opening opening / closing portion 26a is in an open state, that is, a state in which the gap between the first heat insulating material 35 and the second heat insulating material 37 is widened, in the state where the component to be heat-insulated 20 is contracted as shown in FIG. 3(A). On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3(B), when the first heat insulating material 35 and the second heat insulating material 37 are pressed against the component to be heat-insulated 20 from the inside due to the thermal expansion of the component to be heat-insulated 20, the outward-opening opening / closing portion 26a is in a closed state, that is, a state in which the gap between the first heat insulating material 35 and the second heat insulating material 37 is narrowed (including a state where there is no gap). And the smaller the gap between the first heat insulating material 35 and the second heat insulating material 37 is, the higher the heat insulating performance of the heat insulating material 21 at the corner portion 25 becomes.

[0038] Further, when comparing the space S1 formed between the heat-insulated component 20 and the heat-insulating material 21 in the contracted state of the heat-insulated component 20 and the space S2 formed between the heat-insulated component 20 and the heat-insulating material 21 in the expanded state of the heat-insulated component 20, the space S2 is smaller than the space S1. And the smaller the space formed between the heat-insulated component 20 and the heat-insulating material 21, the higher the heat-insulating performance of the heat-insulating material 21 at the corner portion 25.

[0039] Therefore, when the outward-opening opening / closing portion 26a opens and closes with the hinge portion 40 as a fulcrum, the heat-insulating performance of the heat-insulating material 21 at the corner portion 25 changes between when the heat-insulated component 20 is in the expanded state and when it is in the contracted state. That is, the heat-insulating material 21 can automatically control its heat-insulating performance by opening and closing the outward-opening opening / closing portion 26a with the hinge portion 40 as a fulcrum in response to the expansion and contraction of the heat-insulated component 20.

[0040] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the heat-insulating device 111 of the comparative example. FIG. 4(A) shows the state in which the heat-insulated component 20 is contracted, and FIG. 4(B) shows the state in which the heat-insulated component 20 is expanded. Also, the broken line in FIG. 4(B) represents the outer shape of the heat-insulated component 20 in the contracted state.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 4, the heat insulation device 111 of the comparative example covers the heat-insulated component 20 with a first heat insulation material 51 that abuts against the first surface 34 and a second heat insulation material 52 that abuts against the second surface 36, and houses it in the case 22. That is, the basic structure of reducing the heat transfer between the heat-insulated component 20 and the outside by covering the heat-insulated component 20 with a heat insulation material is the same as that of the heat insulation device 110 of the present embodiment. However, in the heat insulation device 111 of the comparative example, the first heat insulation material 51 and the second heat insulation material 52 only abut at the abutting portion 53, the first heat insulation material 51 and the second heat insulation material 52 are not joined at the corner portion 25, and the hinge portion 40 is not formed. For this reason, as shown in FIGS. 4(A) and 4(B), even if a gap 54 is formed outside the first heat insulation material 51 and the second heat insulation material 52, or even if the first heat insulation material 51 and the second heat insulation material 52 are pressed by the expansion of the heat-insulated component 20, the size of the gap 54 hardly changes. Therefore, the gap 54 in the heat insulation device 111 of the comparative example does not become the opening / closing portion 26 in the heat insulation device 110 of the present embodiment.

[0042] On the other hand, when comparing the space S3 formed between the heat-insulated component 20, the first heat insulation material 51, and the second heat insulation material 52 in the contracted state of the heat-insulated component 20 with the similar space S4 in the expanded state of the heat-insulated component 20, the space S4 is greatly expanded with respect to the space S3. This is because, due to the absence of the hinge portion 40 and the opening / closing portion 26, the first heat insulation material 51 and the second heat insulation material 52 are separated from the first surface 34 and the second surface 36, respectively, by the expansion of the heat-insulated component 20. Thus, when the first heat insulation material 51 and the second heat insulation material 52 are separated from the first surface 34 and the second surface 36, respectively, the heat insulation performance at the corner portion 25 is significantly reduced, and in some cases, the heat insulation is substantially broken. For this reason, in the heat insulation device 111 of the comparative example, the heat insulation performance at the corner portion 25 changes, but this change is extremely large and exceeds the range in which the required heat insulation performance can be maintained. That is, it cannot be said that the heat insulation device 111 of the comparative example controls the heat insulation performance at the corner portion 25.

[0043] Therefore, as can be seen by comparing the present embodiment with the above comparative example, the heat insulation device 110 of the present embodiment has the heat insulating material 21 provided with the hinge portion 40 and the opening / closing portion 26, and thus has the effect of being able to control the heat insulation performance according to the expansion and contraction of the heat-insulated component 20. Further, since the adhesion of the heat insulating material 21 to the heat-insulated component 20 is improved, the heat insulation is not broken while controlling the heat insulation performance, and the required heat insulation performance is easily maintained.

[0044] In particular, the above-described outward-opening opening / closing portion 26a increases the heat insulation performance when the heat-insulated component 20 is in the expanded state as compared with when the heat-insulated component 20 is in the contracted state. This is contrary to the case where the heat insulation performance decreases due to the expansion of the heat-insulated component 20 as in the comparative example, and the heat insulation performance changes. That is, the heat insulation device 110 of the present embodiment can adjust the heat insulation performance in a direction that could not occur conventionally, that is, increase the heat insulation performance according to the expansion of the heat-insulated component 20, by the heat insulating material 21 being provided with the hinge portion 40 and particularly the outward-opening opening / closing portion 26a.

[0045] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the corner portion 25 having the inward-opening opening / closing portion 26b in the heat insulating material 21. FIG. 5(A) shows the state where the heat-insulated component 20 is contracted, and FIG. 5(B) shows the state where the heat-insulated component 20 is expanded. Also, the broken line in FIG. 5(B) represents the outer shape of the heat-insulated component 20 in the contracted state. The inward-opening opening / closing portion 26b is, as described above, a form of the opening / closing portion 26. And, as shown in FIG. 5, even when forming the inward-opening opening / closing portion 26b, the internal configuration of the heat insulating material 21 is the same as in the case of forming the inward-opening opening / closing portion 26b described above. However, when forming the inward-opening opening / closing portion 26b, the first heat insulating material 35 and the second heat insulating material 37 are joined on the outside to form the hinge portion 40. Thereby, the inward-opening opening / closing portion 26b that opens and closes inward is formed.

[0046] As shown in Fig. 5(A), this inward-opening opening / closing part 26b is in a closed state when the heat-insulated part 20 contracts, that is, in a state where the gap between the first heat-insulating material 35 and the second heat-insulating material 37 is narrowed. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 5(B), when the first heat-insulating material 35 and the second heat-insulating material 37 are respectively pressed from the inside due to the thermal expansion of the heat-insulated part 20, the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b is in an open state, that is, in a state where the gap between the first heat-insulating material 35 and the second heat-insulating material 37 is widened.

[0047] When forming the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b, comparing the space S5 formed between the heat-insulated part 20 and the heat-insulating material 21 in the contracted state of the heat-insulated part 20 with the similar space S6 in the expanded state of the heat-insulated part 20, it is the same as the case of forming the outward-opening opening / closing part 26a that the space S6 becomes smaller than the space S5. However, when forming the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b, the space S7 generated by the opening of the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b is connected to this space S6. As a result, according to the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b, improvement in the heat-insulating performance when the heat-insulated part 20 is in an expanded state can be suppressed according to the sizes of the space S6 and the space S7. Also, depending on the sizes of the space S6 and the space S7, the heat-insulating performance when the heat-insulated part 20 is in an expanded state is maintained or reduced.

[0048] Therefore, by opening and closing the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b with the hinge part 40 as a fulcrum, the heat-insulating performance of the heat-insulating material 21 at the corner part 25 changes when the heat-insulated part is in an expanded state and a contracted state. That is, the heat-insulating material 21 can automatically control the heat-insulating performance by opening and closing the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b with the hinge part 40 as a fulcrum according to the expansion and contraction of the heat-insulated part 20.

[0049] Note that the change in heat insulation performance when the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b is provided is controlled to be smaller than the change in heat insulation performance in the comparative example, and is within the range where the required heat insulation performance can be maintained. Therefore, even when the opening / closing part 26 is the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b, the heat insulation device 110 of the present embodiment can control the heat insulation performance according to the expansion and contraction of the heat-insulated component 20 because the heat insulation material 21 includes the hinge part 40 and the opening / closing part 26.

[0050] [First Modified Example] In the above embodiment, by configuring the heat insulation material 21 as a laminate of the particulate heat insulation material 31 and the fibrous heat insulation material 32, while causing the heat insulation material 21 to follow the first surface 34 and the second surface 36, it is made difficult for a gap to occur between the case 22 and the heat insulation material 21. However, the configuration of the heat insulation material 21 is arbitrary. For example, the heat insulation material 21 can be constituted by the particulate heat insulation material 31 without using the fibrous heat insulation material 32.

[0051] FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are cross-sectional views of the corner part 25 showing the configuration of the first modified example. FIG. 6 shows an example in which the heat insulation material 21 is constituted by the particulate heat insulation material 31 and the outward-opening opening / closing part 26a is formed. FIG. 7 shows an example in which the heat insulation material 21 is constituted by the particulate heat insulation material 31 and the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b is formed. FIGS. 6(A) and 7(A) show the state in which the heat-insulated component 20 has contracted, and FIGS. 6(B) and 7(B) show the state in which the heat-insulated component 20 has expanded. Also, the broken lines in FIGS. 6(B) and 7(B) represent the outer shape of the heat-insulated component 20 in the contracted state.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 6(A), also in the first modification, the hinge portion 40 and the outward-opening / closing portion 26a can be formed in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment. However, as shown in FIG. 6(B), when the heat-insulated component 20 expands, the case 22 is deformed. Then, the case 22 can change its shape to such an extent as to follow the change in the outer shape due to the thermal expansion of the heat-insulated component 20, and can return to its original shape when the heat-insulated component 20 contracts. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, even when the heat insulating material 21 is generally composed of the rigid particle heat insulating material 31, the hinge portion 40 and the outward-opening / closing portion 26a can be provided to control the heat insulating performance. As shown in FIGS. 7(A) and 7(B), the same applies when the heat insulating material 21 is composed of the particle heat insulating material 31 and the inward-opening / closing portion 26b is formed.

[0053] [Second Modification Example] In the above-described embodiment, the opening / closing portion 26 (the outward-opening / closing portion 26a and the inward-opening / closing portion 26b) is formed substantially parallel to the second surface 36 of the heat-insulated component 20. However, if the opening / closing portion 26 is generally provided at the corner portion 25, its position, orientation, etc. can be adjusted.

[0054] FIGS. 8 and 9 are cross-sectional views of the corner portion 25 showing the configuration of the second modification example. FIG. 8 shows an example in which the outward-opening / closing portion 26a is formed obliquely with respect to the first surface 34 and the second surface 36. FIG. 9 shows an example in which the inward-opening / closing portion 26b is formed obliquely with respect to the first surface 34 and the second surface 36. FIGS. 8(A) and 9(A) represent the state in which the heat-insulated component 20 has contracted, and FIGS. 8(B) and 9(B) represent the state in which the heat-insulated component 20 has expanded. Also, the broken lines in FIGS. 8(B) and 9(B) represent the outer shape of the heat-insulated component 20 in the contracted state.

[0055] As shown in FIGS. 8(A) and 8(B), the outward-opening / closing portion 26a can be formed obliquely with respect to the first surface 34 and the second surface 36. Also in this case, when the heat-insulated component 20 expands, the outward-opening / closing portion 26a closes, and the gap between the first heat insulating material 35 and the second heat insulating material 37 narrows, thereby enhancing the heat insulating performance at the corner portion 25.

[0056] Also, as shown in FIGS. 9(A) and 9(B), the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b can also be formed obliquely with respect to the first surface 34 and the second surface 36. Also in this case, when the heat-insulated component 20 expands, the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b opens, and the gap between the first heat-insulating material 35 and the second heat-insulating material 37 widens, thereby suppressing an increase in the heat-insulating performance at the corner part 25. Further, depending on the size of the space between the first heat-insulating material 35 and the second heat-insulating material 37, etc., the heat-insulating performance when the heat-insulated component 20 is in an expanded state is maintained or reduced.

[0057] Note that the reason for providing the opening / closing part 26 at the corner part 25 and other corner parts is that there is a particularly high need to control the heat-insulating performance as compared with the flat part where the heat-insulating material 21 adheres. At the same time, providing the opening / closing part 26 at the corner part 25 also has the advantage of being easy to control the heat-insulating performance.

[0058] [Opening angle of outward-opening opening / closing part] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the opening angle of the outward-opening opening / closing part 26a. FIG. 10(A) shows a state where the heat-insulated component 20 has contracted, and FIG. 10(B) shows a state where the heat-insulated component 20 has expanded. Also, the broken line in FIG. 10(B) represents the outer shape of the heat-insulated component 20 in a contracted state.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 10(A), when forming the outward-opening opening / closing part 26a, it is assumed that the opening angle of the outward-opening opening / closing part 26a when the heat-insulated component 20 is in a contracted state is α. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10(B), when the heat-insulated component 20 is in an expanded state, it is assumed that the displacement angle of the first surface 34 with respect to the corner part 25 is β1, and the displacement angle of the second surface 36 with respect to the corner part 25 is β2. At this time, the opening angle α of the outward-opening opening / closing part 26a is formed to be equal to the sum of the displacement angle β1 of the first surface 34 and the displacement angle β2 of the second surface 36 with respect to the corner part 25. That is, α = β1 + β2.

[0060] When the opening angle α is greater than the sum of the displacement angle β1 of the first surface 34 and the displacement angle β2 of the second surface 36, i.e., in the relationship of α>β1 + β2, even after the heat-insulated component 20 expands, the outward-opening opening / closing part 26a does not close, and a gap remains between the first heat-insulating material 35 and the second heat-insulating material 37. Then, after the heat-insulated component 20 expands, the heat-insulating performance at the corner 25 may be insufficient.

[0061] On the other hand, when the opening angle α is smaller than the sum of the displacement angle β1 of the first surface 34 and the displacement angle β2 of the second surface 36, i.e., in the relationship of α<β1 + β2, the opening angle α is insufficient with respect to the expansion amount of the heat-insulated component 20. For this reason, when the heat-insulated component 20 expands, the first heat-insulating material 35 and the second heat-insulating material 37 come into strong contact, and problems such as an excessive load being generated on the first heat-insulating material 35 and the second heat-insulating material 37, resulting in cracks, may occur.

[0062] Therefore, when forming the outward-opening opening / closing part 26a, it is preferable that the opening angle α is formed to be equal to the sum of the displacement angle β1 of the first surface 34 and the displacement angle β2 of the second surface 36 with reference to the corner 25. However, in order to adjust (reduce) the heat-insulating performance at the corner 25 after the heat-insulated component 20 expands, the opening angle α may be made larger than the sum of the displacement angle β1 of the first surface 34 and the displacement angle β2 of the second surface 36.

[0063] In addition, when the opening / closing part 26 is an inward-opening opening / closing part 26b, the above condition regarding the opening angle α (α = β1 + β2) is automatically satisfied.

[0064] [Configuration of the coating material] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the coating material 33. As shown in FIG. 11, the coating material 33 is woven, for example, into one cylindrical or bag-like shape. In FIG. 11, the coating material 33 is composed of a first cylindrical part 61 constituting the first heat-insulating material 35 and a second cylindrical part 62 constituting the second heat-insulating material 37. And the first cylindrical part 61 and the second cylindrical part 62 are not joined by sewing or the like, but the first cylindrical part 61 and the second cylindrical part 62 are integrally woven.

[0065] The first cylindrical portion 61 has an opening 61a formed at one end on the negative X direction side, and particulate heat insulating material 31 and fibrous heat insulating material 32 serving as the first heat insulating material 35 are inserted through this opening 61a. Then, after the particulate heat insulating material 31 and the fibrous heat insulating material 32 are inserted, the lid portion 61b of the first cylindrical portion 61 is closed and sewn or adhered, etc., and sealed. Similarly, the second cylindrical portion 62 has an opening 62a formed at one end on the negative Y direction side, and particulate heat insulating material 31 and fibrous heat insulating material 32 serving as the second heat insulating material 37 are inserted through this opening 62a. Then, the lid portion 62b of the second cylindrical portion 62 is closed and sewn or adhered, etc., and sealed.

[0066] Here, an example in which the covering material 33 has the openings 61a, 62a and the lid portions 61b, 62b has been shown. However, since the covering material 33 has flexibility, instead of these, slits serving as insertion ports for the particulate heat insulating material 31 and the fibrous heat insulating material 32 may be formed.

[0067] As described above, when the first cylindrical portion 61 and the second cylindrical portion 62 are integrally woven and formed, the surface 63 where the first cylindrical portion 61 abuts against the first surface 34 and the surface 64 where the second cylindrical portion 62 abuts against the second surface 36 are formed of a continuous single covering material 33. For this reason, the covering material 33 covering the first heat insulating material 35 and the second heat insulating material 37 is not joined by sewing or the like, but is formed of at least a continuous single covering material 33 at least at the hinge portion 40. As a result, the hinge portion 40 is formed of the covering material 33.

[0068] In this way, by forming at least the portion of the hinge portion 40 with a continuous single covering material 33, no sewing joint portion is generated at the hinge portion 40 which is a movable portion in the heat insulating material 21. Therefore, compared with the case of joining by sewing or the like later, the strength of the hinge portion 40 is high. Also, the mesh opening of the covering material 33 is small. As a result, even if the particulate heat insulating material 31 is worn or the like due to the repeated opening and closing of the opening and closing portion 26 (the outward opening and closing portion 26a in FIG. 11), there is also an advantage that powder leakage hardly occurs from the hinge portion 40.

[0069] Note that FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing another configuration of the covering material 33. As described above, the hinge portion 40 is particularly preferably formed by a series of covering materials 33 instead of being formed by sewing. However, as shown in FIG. 12, the first cylindrical portion 61 and the second cylindrical portion 62 may be separately created, and the hinge portion 40 may be formed by sewing. Also in this case, control of the heat insulation performance at the corner portion 25 is possible.

[0070] In FIGS. 11 and 12, an example in which the outward-opening opening / closing portion 26a is formed as the opening / closing portion 26 is shown. However, the same applies to the case where the inward-opening opening / closing portion 26b is formed.

[0071] [Third Modification Example] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the third modification example. In the third modification example, the fiber heat insulating material 32 is filled in the portion of the outward-opening opening / closing portion 26a. Other configurations are the same as those in the above-described embodiment and the like.

[0072] The fiber heat insulating material 32 has flexibility and can exhibit an elastic force due to its structure. Therefore, when the fiber heat insulating material 32 is filled in the outward-opening opening / closing portion 26a and sandwiched between the first heat insulating material 35 and the second heat insulating material 37, when the heat-insulated component 20 contracts, the first heat insulating material 35 and the second heat insulating material 37 are likely to return to their original positions due to the reaction force from the sandwiched fiber heat insulating material 32.

[0073] Although not shown, when the opening / closing portion 26 is an inward-opening opening / closing portion 26b, it is also preferable to fill the inward-opening opening / closing portion 26b with the fiber heat insulating material 32 and sandwich it between the first heat insulating material 35 and the second heat insulating material 37 in the same manner as above. Thus, when the fiber heat insulating material 32 is filled in the inward-opening opening / closing portion 26b, due to the reaction force of the sandwiched fiber heat insulating material 32, when the heat-insulated component 20 expands, it can move easily following the expansion.

[0074] [Selection of Outward-Opening and Inward-Opening Opening / Closing Portions] The opening and closing part 26 provided at the corner part 25 can be arbitrarily selected from the outward-opening opening and closing part 26a and the inward-opening opening and closing part 26b. However, as follows, it is preferable to determine which of the outward-opening opening and closing part 26a and the inward-opening opening and closing part 26b is provided at the corner part 25 according to the nature of the specific heat-insulated part 20 to be heat-insulated.

[0075] FIG. 14 is a graph showing changes over time in the temperature of the fuel cell stack (the first fuel cell stack 10 or the second fuel cell stack 11) and the flow rate of the cooling gas. FIG. 14(A) shows the change over time in the stack temperature when the outward-opening opening and closing part 26a is adopted, and FIG. 14(B) shows the change over time in the flow rate of the cooling gas when the outward-opening opening and closing part 26a is adopted. Further, FIG. 14(C) shows the change over time in the stack temperature when the inward-opening opening and closing part 26b is adopted, and FIG. 14(D) shows the change over time in the stack temperature when the inward-opening opening and closing part 26b is adopted. The cooling gas is unheated air (oxidant) supplied from the blower 16 through the second air supply path 19.

[0076] As shown in FIGS. 14(A) and 14(B), assuming that the fuel cell stack expands due to thermal expansion and the stack temperature rises at time t1 in a state where the outward-opening opening and closing part 26a is closed. In this case, the outward-opening opening and closing part 26a is in a state where its heat insulation performance has increased. And although the fuel cell stack needs to operate at a predetermined high temperature (here, temperature T1) in order to generate electricity efficiently, on the other hand, it is necessary to control the temperature so as not to be in an overheated state in consideration of heat resistance and the like. For this reason, the fuel cell system 100 increases the flow rate of the cooling gas from G1 to G2 by a control device (not shown) or the like. As a result, although the stack temperature temporarily rises to temperature Ta, it returns to the temperature T1 to be maintained at time t2.

[0077] On the one hand, as shown in FIGS. 14(C) and 14(D), when the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b is adopted, assuming that the fuel cell stack expands due to thermal expansion and the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b is in an open state, the stack temperature rises at time t1. In this case, since the heat insulation performance of the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b is suppressed from increasing, the rise in the stack temperature is suppressed more than when the outward-opening opening / closing part 26a is adopted. For example, the temperature Tb reached by the stack temperature when the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b is adopted is lower than the temperature Ta reached by the stack temperature when the outward-opening opening / closing part 26a is adopted. Therefore, although the fuel cell system 100 increases the flow rate of the cooling gas from G1 in response to the rise in the stack temperature, the flow rate of the cooling gas becomes a lower flow rate G3 than when the outward-opening opening / closing part 26a is adopted. For this reason, there is an advantage that the power consumption of the blower 16, which is an auxiliary machine, can be reduced.

[0078] Therefore, when the heat-insulated component 20 is the fuel cell stack, it is preferable to adopt the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b for the opening / closing part 26. In addition, since the first fuel cell stack 10 of the fuel cell system 100 of the present embodiment is of an internally reforming type and does not have a reformer independent of the fuel cell stack, when it has an independent reformer, this reformer is also the heat-insulated component 20. And in the heat insulation device using the reformer as the heat-insulated component 20, it is preferable to adopt the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b for the fuel cell stack in the same manner as the heat-insulated component 20 as described above. However, when the reformer performs partial oxidation reforming (POX), the outward-opening opening / closing part 26a may be adopted.

[0079] FIG. 15 is a graph showing changes over time in the temperature of the gas process unit 17 (GPU) and the flow rate of the fuel. FIG. 15(A) shows the change over time in the temperature of the gas process unit 17 when the outward-opening opening / closing part 26a is adopted, and FIG. 15(B) shows the change over time in the flow rate of the fuel when the outward-opening opening / closing part 26a is adopted. FIG. 15(C) shows the change over time in the temperature of the gas process unit 17 when the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b is adopted, and FIG. 15(D) shows the change over time in the flow rate of the fuel when the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b is adopted.

[0080] The gas process unit 17 is mainly used for warming up during the startup of the fuel cell system 100. For this reason, it is preferable for the gas process unit 17 to reach a predetermined temperature (here, temperature T2) quickly with as little fuel as possible. Therefore, here for comparison, as shown in FIGS. 15(A) and 15(C), regardless of whether the outward-opening opening / closing part 26a or the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b is adopted, it is assumed that the temperature of the gas process unit 17 reaches the predetermined temperature T2 at the time t3 after the startup of the fuel cell system 100.

[0081] At this time, as shown in FIG. 15(B), when the outward-opening opening / closing part 26a is adopted, as the temperature of the gas process unit 17 rises, the outward-opening opening / closing part 26a closes, and the heat insulation performance is enhanced. As a result, the fuel flow rate for reaching the temperature of the gas process unit 17 to T2 at the time t3 and maintaining this temperature is F2.

[0082] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 15(C), when the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b is adopted, even if the temperature of the gas process unit 17 rises, the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b opens, and the increase in heat insulation performance is suppressed. As a result, the fuel flow rate for reaching the temperature of the gas process unit 17 to T2 at the time t3 and maintaining that temperature becomes a flow rate F1 larger than the flow rate F2 when the outward-opening opening / closing part 26a is adopted. For this reason, if the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b is adopted, the fuel consumption for warming up can be reduced. Also, if a certain amount of fuel is consumed for warming up, by adopting the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b, the warming up can be completed earlier.

[0083] Therefore, when the heat-insulated component 20 is the gas process unit 17, it is preferable to adopt the outward-opening opening / closing part 26a for the opening / closing part 26. In addition, in the present embodiment, although the combustor 13 and the heat exchanger 14 are integrated to form the gas process unit 17, when the combustor 13 and the heat exchanger 14 are separate, the combustor 13 and the heat exchanger 14 are each the heat-insulated component 20. And in the heat insulation device using the combustor 13 or the heat exchanger 14 as the heat-insulated component 20, it is preferable to adopt the outward-opening opening / closing part 26a in the same manner as in the case where the gas process unit 17 is the heat-insulated component 20 as described above.

[0084] [Laminating order of particulate heat insulating material and fibrous heat insulating material] In the above-described embodiment, modification examples, etc., when forming the heat insulating material 21 by laminating the particulate heat insulating material 31 and the fibrous heat insulating material 32, the inner side with the heat-insulated component 20 is the particulate heat insulating material 31, and the outer side with the case 22 and the outside world is the fibrous heat insulating material 32. This is for the following reasons.

[0085] FIG. 16 is a graph showing the thermal conductivity of the heat insulating material. As shown in FIG. 16, the thermal conductivity of the particulate heat insulating material 31 is generally lower than that of air and has high heat insulation performance. On the other hand, the thermal conductivity of the fibrous heat insulating material 32 is generally higher than that of air and has relatively low heat insulation performance.

[0086] And FIG. 17 is a graph showing the temperature change in the heat insulating material 21. FIG. 17(A) shows a case where, contrary to the above-described embodiment, the particulate heat insulating material 31 is disposed on the outer side with the relatively low-temperature case 22, and the fibrous heat insulating material 32 is disposed on the inner side with the relatively high-temperature heat-insulated component 20. On the other hand, FIG. 17(B) shows a case where, similar to the above-described embodiment, the fibrous heat insulating material 32 is disposed on the outer side with the low-temperature case 22, and the particulate heat insulating material 31 is disposed on the inner side with the high-temperature heat-insulated component 20. Here, the temperature of the heat-insulated component 20 is T4, and the temperature of the case 22 is T5.

[0087] And the thickness δ of the heat insulating material 21 when the particulate heat insulating material 31 is disposed on the high-temperature side A and the thickness δ of the heat insulating material 21 when the fibrous heat insulating material 32 is disposed on the high-temperature sideB When comparing them, there is a relationship of thermal conductivity magnitude as shown in Fig. 16, so δ A >δ B is obtained. Therefore, when the particle heat insulating material 31 is arranged inside where the high-temperature heat-insulated component 20 is located, the heat insulating material 21 can be made thinner than when the lamination order is reversed. As a result, the heat insulating device 110 can be made smaller, thinner, or lighter.

[0088] As described above, the heat insulating device 110 according to the present embodiment etc. includes a heat-insulated component 20 which is a component whose temperature changes, and a heat insulating material 21 that covers the heat-insulated component 20. Further, the heat insulating material 21 includes a first heat insulating material 35 that abuts on the first surface 34 of the heat-insulated component 20, and a second heat insulating material 37 that abuts on a second surface 36 which is a surface of the heat-insulated component 20 adjacent to the first surface 34. And at the corner portion 25 of the heat-insulated component 20, the first heat insulating material 35 and the second heat insulating material 37 abut. Moreover, the heat insulating material 21 includes a hinge portion 40 formed by joining the first heat insulating material 35 and the second heat insulating material 37, and an opening / closing portion 26 that opens and closes with the hinge portion 40 as a fulcrum so that the gap between the first heat insulating material 35 and the second heat insulating material 37 at the corner portion 25 changes according to the expansion or contraction of the heat-insulated component 20 due to temperature change.

[0089] As described above, at the corner portion 25, since the heat insulating material 21 includes the hinge portion 40 and the opening / closing portion 26, as the heat-insulated component 20 expands or contracts, the heat insulating material 21 maintains close contact with the heat-insulated component 20 while the opening / closing portion 26 opens and closes, and the heat insulating performance at the corner portion 25 changes. As a result, the heat insulating device 110 according to the present embodiment etc. can control the heat insulating performance of the heat-insulated component 20 according to its temperature.

[0090] The opening / closing portion 26 can have a structure (outward-opening opening / closing portion 26a) that closes when the heat-insulated component 20 expands and opens when the heat-insulated component 20 contracts. Specifically, when the side of the heat-insulated component 20 is the inner side and the side opposite to the inner side is the outer side, the hinge portion 40 is formed by joining the first heat insulating material 35 and the second heat insulating material 37 on the outer side, and the opening / closing portion 26 (outward-opening opening / closing portion 26a) is formed so that the outer sides of the first heat insulating material 35 and the second heat insulating material 37 open and close.

[0091] In this way, by making the opening / closing part 26 an outward-opening type opening / closing part 26a, when the heat-insulated component 20 expands due to temperature change, the heat-insulating performance can be enhanced, and when the heat-insulated component 20 contracts, the heat-insulating property can be relatively reduced, so that the heat-insulating performance can be controlled.

[0092] On the other hand, the opening / closing part 26 can be configured to open when the heat-insulated component 20 expands and close when the heat-insulated component 20 contracts (inward-opening type opening / closing part 26b). Specifically, when the side of the heat-insulated component 20 is the inner side and the side opposite to the inner side is the outer side, the hinge part 40 is formed by connecting the first heat-insulating material 35 and the second heat-insulating material 37 on the outer side, and the opening / closing part 26 is formed such that the inner sides of the first heat-insulating material 35 and the second heat-insulating material 37 open and close.

[0093] In this way, by making the opening / closing part 26 an inward-opening type opening / closing part 26b, when the heat-insulated component 20 contracts due to temperature change, the heat-insulating performance can be enhanced, and the increase in the heat-insulating performance when the heat-insulated component 20 expands can be suppressed.

[0094] Also, with respect to the corner part 25, the opening angle α of the opening / closing part 26 is equal to the sum of the displacement angle β1 of the first surface 34 and the displacement angle β2 of the second surface 36. In this case, insufficient heat insulation and internal damage of the heat-insulating material 21 can be prevented.

[0095] The heat-insulating material 21 is formed by covering with a covering material 33. And since the covering material 33 covering the first heat-insulating material 35 and the second heat-insulating material 37 is formed of at least one continuous covering material 33 at least at the hinge part 40, the hinge part 40 is formed of the covering material 33. In this way, by forming the hinge part 40 with one continuous covering material 33, the strength of the hinge part 40 is improved, and powder leakage of the first heat-insulating material 35 or the like can be prevented.

[0096] Also, it is preferable that the opening / closing part 26 holds a flexible heat insulating material such as the fibrous heat insulating material 32 or the like. In this case, since the elastic force of the flexible heat insulating material assists the opening and closing of the opening / closing part 26, the opening / closing part 26 can move smoothly and easily. The flexible heat insulating material is, for example, a fibrous heat insulating material, that is, the fibrous heat insulating material 32.

[0097] When the opening / closing part 26 is the outward-opening type opening / closing part 26a, the heat-insulated component 20 is preferably, for example, the combustor 13 and / or the heat exchanger 14 that constitute the fuel cell system 100. In this case, the warm-up of the fuel cell system 100 can be completed with a small amount of fuel.

[0098] When the opening / closing part 26 is the inward-opening type opening / closing part 26b, the heat-insulated component 20 is preferably, for example, a fuel cell stack (the first fuel cell stack 10 and / or the second fuel cell stack 11). In this case, when maintaining the temperature of the fuel cell stack at a high temperature with good power generation efficiency and preventing overheating, the power consumption of the auxiliary machine (the blower 16) can be reduced.

[0099] The heat insulating material 21 preferably includes at least a first heat insulating material (particle heat insulating material 31) having a lower thermal conductivity than air. Thereby, while obtaining basically high heat insulating performance of the heat insulating material 21, the heat insulating performance can be controlled.

[0100] Also, when the heat insulating material 21 is formed by laminating a first heat insulating material 35 and a second heat insulating material (fibrous heat insulating material 32) having a higher thermal conductivity than air, the first heat insulating material (particle heat insulating material 31) is disposed on the side of the high-temperature heat-insulated component 20. Thereby, the heat insulating material 21 can be formed thinly. As a result, the heat insulating device 110 is miniaturized, thinned, and lightened.

[0101] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the configurations described in the above embodiments and modifications only show a part of the application examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiments and modifications, the heat insulation device 110 insulates the heat-insulated component 20 which is a part of the fuel cell system 100. However, the heat insulation device 110 is also suitable for other devices or systems including components to be insulated. In addition, the above embodiments and modifications can be implemented by arbitrarily combining some or all of them. For example, in one heat insulation device 110, the outward-opening opening / closing part 26a and the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b may be mixed and adopted. Also, when insulating the entire fuel cell system 100, that is, when the entire fuel cell system 100 is the heat-insulated component 20, either the outward-opening opening / closing part 26a or the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b can be adopted as the opening / closing part 26. For example, considering the warm-up of the fuel cell system 100 as a priority, the inward-opening opening / closing part 26b can be adopted.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0102] 20: Heat-insulated component, 21: Heat insulation material, 22: Case, 25: Corner, 26: Opening / closing part, 26a: Outward-opening opening / closing part, 26b: Inward-opening opening / closing part, 31: Particle heat insulation material, 32: Fiber heat insulation material, 33: Coating material, 34: First surface, 35: First heat insulation material, 36: Second surface, 37: Second heat insulation material, 40: Hinge part, 100: Fuel cell system, 110: Heat insulation device

Claims

1. A heat insulation device comprising a component whose temperature changes and a heat insulation material covering the component, the heat insulation material including a first heat insulation material contacting a first surface of the component and a second heat insulation material contacting a second surface of the component which is adjacent to the first surface, wherein at a corner of the component, the first heat insulation material and the second heat insulation material contact each other, and the heat insulation material has a hinge portion formed by joining the first heat insulation material and the second heat insulation material, and an opening / closing portion that opens and closes with the hinge portion as a fulcrum so that a gap between the first heat insulation material and the second heat insulation material at the corner changes in accordance with expansion or contraction of the component due to temperature change, and the heat insulation device is provided with the opening / closing portion. Heat insulation device.

2. The heat insulation device according to Claim 1, wherein the opening / closing portion closes when the component expands and opens when the component contracts. Heat insulation device.

3. The heat insulation device according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein when the side of the component is defined as the inner side and the side opposite to the inner side is defined as the outer side, the hinge portion is formed by joining the first heat insulation material and the second heat insulation material on the inner side, and the opening / closing portion is formed such that the outer sides of the first heat insulation material and the second heat insulation material open and close. Heat insulation device.

4. The heat insulation device according to Claim 1, wherein the opening / closing portion opens when the component expands and closes when the component contracts. Heat insulation device.

5. The heat insulation device according to Claim 1 or 4, wherein when the side of the component is defined as the inner side and the side opposite to the inner side is defined as the outer side, the hinge portion is formed by joining the first heat insulation material and the second heat insulation material on the outer side, and the opening / closing portion is formed such that the inner sides of the first heat insulation material and the second heat insulation material open and close. Heat insulation device.

6. The heat insulation device according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein with reference to the corner, an opening angle of the opening / closing portion is equal to a sum of a displacement angle of the first surface and a displacement angle of the second surface. Heat insulation device.

7. The heat insulation device according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the heat insulation material is formed by covering with a covering material, and since the covering material covering the first heat insulation material and the second heat insulation material is formed of one continuous covering material at least at the hinge portion, the hinge portion is formed of the covering material. Heat insulation device.

8. The heat insulation device according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein a flexible heat insulation material is sandwiched between the opening / closing portions. Heat insulation device.

9. The heat insulation device according to claim 8, wherein the flexible heat insulating material is a fibrous heat insulating material, heat insulation device.

10. The heat insulation device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the component is a combustor and / or a heat exchanger constituting a fuel cell system, heat insulation device.

11. The heat insulation device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the component is a fuel cell stack, heat insulation device.

12. The heat insulation device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the heat insulating material includes at least a first heat insulating material having a lower thermal conductivity than air, heat insulation device.

13. The heat insulation device according to claim 12, wherein the heat insulating material is formed by laminating the first heat insulating material and a second heat insulating material having a higher thermal conductivity than air, and the first heat insulating material is disposed on the side of the component, heat insulation device.

Images