Power supply device

Abstract

To provide a power-supply unit having sufficiently increased design flexibility while a necessary and sufficient amount of a second gas can be supplied from a storage part securely and constantly.SOLUTION: A power-supply unit 1 comprises: a fuel cell power generation part 2 that includes a power generation cell 11 configured to generate power by reacting air and hydrogen; a pump 5 for supplying the air to the power generation cell 11; a canister connection 3 and a flow-rate adjustment part 4 configured to be connected to a hydrogen canister C storing hydrogen and supply the hydrogen from the hydrogen canister C to the power generation cell 11; and a controller 8 that controls the supply of the air by the pump 5 and the supply of the hydrogen by the flow-rate adjustment part 4. The power-supply unit 1 supply the power generated by the fuel cell power generation part 2 to a supply target, and comprises a heating part 6 configured to heat the hydrogen canister C by heat exchange using the air, which has been supplied to the power generation cell 11 by the pump 5 and has been reacted with the hydrogen, as a fluid for heating.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a power supply device equipped with a fuel cell power generation unit configured to generate electricity by reacting a first gas containing an oxidant with a second gas containing hydrogen. [Background technology]

[0002] As an example of this type of power supply device, the following patent document discloses a fuel cell configured to generate electricity by reacting outside air (oxygen) with fuel (hydrogen) in a power generation section comprising an oxidizer electrode, a fuel electrode, and a polymer electrolyte membrane.

[0003] This fuel cell employs a configuration in which a hydrogen storage alloy is housed in a fuel tank, and hydrogen released from the hydrogen storage alloy is supplied to the fuel electrode and reacted with oxygen in the ambient air to generate electricity. In this case, when hydrogen is released from the hydrogen storage alloy, the temperature of the hydrogen storage alloy (fuel tank) drops due to an endothermic reaction. It is also known that a drop in the temperature of a hydrogen storage alloy reduces the rate at which it releases hydrogen (the amount released per unit time). Therefore, in order to continuously supply a sufficient amount of hydrogen required for power generation from the fuel tank to the power generation unit, it is necessary to prevent the temperature of the fuel tank from dropping and maintain a temperature at which hydrogen can be suitably released from the hydrogen storage alloy.

[0004] Therefore, this fuel cell employs a configuration in which the heat generated in the power generation unit by the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen is used to heat the fuel tank, thereby maintaining a suitable temperature. Specifically, this fuel cell is configured to include a fixed thermal connection member fixed to the fuel tank, an external heat dissipation unit for dissipating heat from the power generation unit to the outside, and a movable thermal connection member for selectively transferring heat from the power generation unit to either the fixed thermal connection member or the external heat dissipation unit. This fuel cell also employs a configuration in which the movable thermal connection member is constantly in contact with the power generation unit, and the movable thermal connection member is moved to contact either the fixed thermal connection member or the external heat dissipation unit by a drive unit including a shape memory alloy spring that deforms in shape depending on temperature and a bias spring.

[0005] More specifically, in this fuel cell, the movable thermal connection member is moved by the drive unit to thermally connect the power generation unit and the fixed thermal connection member via the movable thermal connection member, so that heat generated in the power generation unit is transferred to the fuel tank, thereby heating the hydrogen storage alloy and maintaining a temperature at which the required hydrogen can be released. Also, in this fuel cell, the movable thermal connection member is moved by the drive unit to thermally connect the power generation unit and the external heat dissipation unit via the movable thermal connection member, so that heat generated in the power generation unit is released from the external heat dissipation unit without being transferred to the fuel tank, making it possible to prevent excessive temperature rise in the fuel tank. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-080587 A (pages 5-18, Figures 1-10C) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, the fuel cell disclosed in the above patent document has the following problem to be solved: That is, the fuel cell disclosed in the above patent document employs a configuration in which the power generation unit and the fixed thermal connection member are thermally connected via a movable thermal connection member, and heat generated in the power generation unit is transferred to the fuel tank, thereby heating the hydrogen storage alloy in the fuel tank and preventing excessive temperature drops due to endothermic reactions, and thereby allowing the amount of hydrogen required for power generation to be released from the fuel tank (hydrogen storage alloy) and supplied to the power generation unit (fuel electrode).

[0008] In this case, in order to reliably transfer heat from the power generation unit to the fuel tank via the movable heat connecting member and the fixed heat connecting member, it is necessary to reliably contact the power generation unit with the movable heat connecting member so as to prevent heat transfer loss, to reliably contact the movable heat connecting member with the fixed heat connecting member so as to prevent heat transfer loss, and to reliably contact the fixed heat connecting member with the fuel tank so as to prevent heat transfer loss. Meanwhile, in this fuel cell, the movable heat connecting member must be moved by a drive unit so as to contact either the fixed heat connecting member or the external heat dissipation unit while maintaining contact with the power generation unit. Therefore, in this fuel cell, when the components are brought into close contact to avoid heat transfer loss, it becomes difficult for the drive unit to smoothly move the movable heat connecting member. However, when smooth movement of the movable heat connecting member is enabled, the degree of contact between the components decreases, resulting in heat transfer loss, making it difficult to reliably and easily heat the fuel tank.

[0009] Furthermore, when the heat transfer path between the power generation unit and the fuel tank is long, it becomes difficult to efficiently transfer heat from the power generation unit to the fuel tank by dissipating heat from the movable or fixed thermal connecting member to the outside air. Therefore, in the fuel cell disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document, the length of the heat transfer path, i.e., the distance between the power generation unit and the fuel tank, must be sufficiently short to avoid a decrease in heat transfer efficiency. This results in a problem of limited design freedom regarding the placement of the power generation unit and the fuel tank. Furthermore, when this fuel cell is configured to connect multiple fuel tanks to ensure a stable supply of hydrogen to the power generation unit, it is necessary to provide a movable or fixed thermal connecting member for each fuel tank, or to provide a movable or fixed thermal connecting member that can be shared among the multiple fuel tanks. Therefore, when multiple fuel tanks are connected to each other, manufacturing costs increase.

[0010] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems to be solved, and its main object is to provide a power supply device that can reliably and continuously supply a necessary and sufficient amount of second gas from a storage unit without incurring a rise in manufacturing costs, while also being able to fully improve the design freedom. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to achieve the above object, a power supply device according to claim 1 includes a power generation cell configured to generate electricity by reacting a first gas containing an oxidant with a second gas containing hydrogen. and a cooling cell that cools the power generating cell by heat exchange with a third gas. a first supply unit that supplies the first gas to the power generation cell, and a second supply unit that is connectable to a storage unit that occludes the second gas and supplies the second gas from the storage unit to the power generation cell; a third supply unit that supplies the third gas to the cooling cell; Supply of the first gas by the first supply unit ,before Supply of the second gas by the second supply unit and supply of the third gas by the third supply unit. a control unit that controls the first gas supplied to the power generation cell by the first supply unit and reacted with the second gas, and the third gas supplied to the cooling cell by the third supply unit to cool the power generation cell. a heating unit configured to be able to heat the storage unit by heat exchange with the heating fluid using the fluid as a heating fluid; the first supply unit and the third supply unit are configured with one pump, and the heating unit is configured to be able to use a mixture of the first gas sucked from the power generation cell by the one pump and the third gas sucked from the cooling cell by the one pump as the heating fluid, and is provided with a first heating unit that is located upstream of the one pump in a flow path of the mixture and uses the mixture as the heating fluid to heat the storage unit, and a second heating unit that is located downstream of the one pump in the flow path of the mixture and uses the mixture as the heating fluid to heat the storage unit. are.

[0012] The power supply device according to claim 2 is the power supply device according to claim 1, The heating unit is disposed between the first heating unit and the one pump in the flow path of the air-fuel mixture. equipped with a drain trap to remove moisture from The second heating section In the drain trap, moisture is removed. The mixture discharged from the one pump is is used as the heating fluid to heat the reservoir.

[0013] The power supply device according to claim 3 is Article 1 In the power supply device described above, the heating section is provided with a pipe body arranged near the storage section, and is configured so that the storage section can be heated by heat dissipation from the pipe body when the heating fluid is supplied to the pipe body.

[0014] The power supply device according to claim 4 is Article 1 In the power supply device described above, the heating section is configured to be able to spray the heating fluid onto the storage section to heat the storage section.

[0015] The power supply device of claim 5 is the power supply device of claim 4, wherein the heating unit is provided with a housing portion capable of housing the storage unit, and is configured so that the heating fluid can be supplied to the housing portion, thereby spraying the heating fluid onto the storage unit within the housing portion.

[0016] The power supply device according to claim 6 is Article 1 In the power supply device described above, the second supply unit is configured to be able to connect N (N is a natural number equal to or greater than 2) storage units and to be able to supply the second gas from pre-specified M (M is a natural number equal to or less than (N-1)) storage units among the N storage units to the power generation cell, and the heating unit is configured to be able to supply the heating fluid so that the degree of heating of the M storage units is greater than the degree of heating of L storage units excluding the M storage units among the N storage units. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] The power supply device according to claim 1 is configured to be able to supply the power generated by the fuel cell power generation unit to a supply target, and the first gas that is supplied to the power generation cell of the fuel cell power generation unit by the first supply unit and reacted with the second gas is and the third gas supplied to the cooling cell by a third supply unit to cool the power generation cell. a heating unit configured to be able to heat the storage unit by heat exchange with the heating fluid using the The first supply unit and the third supply unit are each composed of one pump, and the heating unit is configured to be able to use a mixture of a first gas sucked from the power generation cell by the one pump and a third gas sucked from the cooling cell by the one pump as a heating fluid, and the system is equipped with a first heating unit that heats the storage unit upstream of the one pump in the flow path of the mixture, and a second heating unit that heats the storage unit downstream of the one pump in the flow path of the mixture. are. Therefore, the claim Article 1According to the power supply device described above, unlike a configuration in which the fuel cell power generation unit and the storage unit are directly connected by a thermal connection member or the like and heat is transferred from the fuel cell power generation unit to the storage unit, even if the positional relationship between the fuel cell power generation unit and the storage unit is arbitrarily determined, the storage unit can be reliably and easily heated by supplying the first gas exhausted from the fuel cell power generation unit to the heating unit as a heating fluid. This allows for a sufficient amount of second gas to be reliably and continuously supplied from the storage unit to the fuel cell power generation unit while fully improving the design freedom of the power supply device. Furthermore, since it is possible to heat multiple storage units without increasing the complexity or size of the configuration, hydrogen can be stably supplied to the fuel cell power generation unit without incurring a rise in manufacturing costs. In addition, the temperature of the mixture is increased by the compression stroke of one pump, and the mixture is heated to a very high temperature by heat exchange with the high-temperature pump, and is then supplied to the second heating section, whereby the storage section can be sufficiently heated. In addition, the first gas is pressure-fed to the fuel cell power generation unit by a pressure-fed pump or the like, and the first gas is passed through the fuel cell power generation unit. and a mixture of a third gas as the heating fluid First heating section Unlike the configuration in which the storage section is heated by supplying the First heating section The present invention provides a method for supplying a high-temperature heating fluid exhausted from a fuel cell power generation unit without causing a situation in which the movement of the heating fluid becomes difficult due to a pressure loss before the heating fluid reaches the fuel cell power generation unit, and without hindering the supply of a new first gas or the like to the fuel cell power generation unit. A mixture of the first gas and the third gas ( heating fluid ) of First heating section can be reliably supplied to

[0021] Claim 2 According to the described power supply device: Second heating section However, the first gas from which moisture has been removed in the drain trap and a mixture of a third gas as a heating fluid to heat the reservoir, so that after heating the reservoir, Second heating section The liquid water is released along with the air exhausted from the Second heating section This can advantageously prevent the situation where the particles are discharged from the inside.

[0022] According to the power supply device of claim 3, the heating unit is configured to include a pipe body disposed near the storage unit, and a heating fluid is supplied to the pipe body so that the storage unit can be heated by heat radiation from the pipe body. This makes it possible to heat the storage unit by heat radiation from the pipe body without moisture, etc. contained in the first gas exhausted from the fuel cell power generation unit adhering to the storage unit. This makes it possible to generate electricity appropriately even when using a loaned storage unit or a storage unit that is not allowed to have moisture, etc. adhering to it.

[0023] According to the power supply device of claim 4, the heating unit is configured so that it can heat the storage unit by spraying a heating fluid onto the storage unit, so that the storage unit can be reliably heated by the high-temperature heating fluid exhausted from the fuel cell power generation unit, despite the relatively simple configuration.

[0024] According to the power supply device of claim 5, the heating unit is configured to have a storage unit that can accommodate the storage unit and to supply a heating fluid to the storage unit so that the heating fluid can be sprayed onto the storage unit within the storage unit.This prevents the high-temperature air sprayed onto the storage unit from being bounced off the storage unit and sprayed onto the components around the storage unit, so the storage unit within the storage unit can be heated efficiently and it is possible to preferably avoid a situation in which the components around the storage unit are unnecessarily heated.

[0025] In the power supply device described in claim 6, the second supply unit is configured to be able to connect N storage units and to supply a second gas to the power generation cell from M pre-specified storage units among the N storage units, and the heating unit is configured to be able to supply a heating fluid so that the degree of heating of the M storage units is greater than the degree of heating of L storage units excluding the M storage units among the N storage units.

[0026] Therefore, according to the power supply device described in claim 6, not only can it be avoided that a storage section that is not supplying the second gas to the fuel cell power generation section is unnecessarily heated, which would cause the internal pressure of the storage section to become excessively high and create a dangerous situation, but it can also efficiently heat the storage section that is supplying the second gas to the fuel cell power generation section, thereby avoiding excessive temperature drops caused by the endothermic effect, and more reliably supplying a necessary and sufficient amount of second gas from this storage section to the fuel cell power generation section. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0030] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a power supply device 1. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a heating unit 6. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of the arrangement of the hydrogen canister C and the heating unit 6 (spiral tubes 21a to 21f). [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a power supply device 1A. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a heating unit 9. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a heating unit 9A. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a heating unit 9B. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of the arrangement of the hydrogen canister C and the heating section 9C (spiral tubes 21a to 21f and canister housing sections 25a to 25f). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a power supply device will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] 1 is an example of a "power supply device" and is configured to generate electricity when supplied with a power-generating gas and supply the electricity to various supply targets. Specifically, power supply device 1 is configured to include a fuel cell power generation unit 2, a canister connection unit 3, a flow rate adjustment unit 4, a pump 5, a heating unit 6, a drain trap 7, and a control unit 8.

[0033] The fuel cell power generation unit 2 is an example of a "fuel cell power generation unit" and is configured by stacking a plurality of power generation cells 11 and a plurality of cooling cells 12. Note that, in order to facilitate understanding of the configuration of the power supply device 1, Fig. 1 illustrates one power generation cell 11 and one cooling cell 12, but in reality, the fuel cell power generation unit 2 is configured with a large number of power generation cells 11 according to the power generation capacity required of the power supply device 1, and a large number of cooling cells 12 according to the amount of heat generated in the power generation cells 11 during power generation.

[0034] The power generation cell 11 is an example of a "power generation cell" and is configured to generate electricity by reacting air, an example of a "first gas," with hydrogen (hydrogen gas), an example of a "second gas," when these gases are supplied to it. Specifically, the power generation cell 11 is formed by sandwiching an MEA (membrane electrode assembly for fuel cells) between a hydrogen gas separator and an oxygen separator (air separator). The cooling cell 12 corresponds to a "cooling cell," and is sandwiched between the power generation cells 11, 11 so that the power generation cell 11 can be cooled by heat exchange with the supplied air, an example of a "third gas," when supplied to it.

[0035] The canister connection unit 3, in combination with the flow rate adjustment unit 4, constitutes a "second supply unit," and is configured to be connectable to, for example, N=6 (six pieces) hydrogen canisters C. In this case, the hydrogen canisters C are an example of a "storage unit," and a hydrogen storage alloy is housed in a pressure vessel and configured to be able to absorb and release hydrogen as a "second gas." Note that, in the power supply device 1 of this example, as an example, a "hydrogen canister C filled with hydrogen" loaned from a hydrogen (hydrogen gas) provider is connected to the canister connection unit 3, and hydrogen gas can be supplied to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 (the hydrogen gas separator of the power generation cell 11) via the flow rate adjustment unit 4. However, instead of this configuration, a configuration can also be adopted in which a pressure vessel fixedly installed as a component of the "power supply device" is refilled with only hydrogen (hydrogen gas) and functions as a "storage unit."

[0036] The flow rate adjusting unit 4 adjusts the flow rate of hydrogen (hydrogen gas) supplied from each hydrogen canister C to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 (power generation cells 11) under the control of the control unit 8. In this case, the power supply device 1 of this example is configured to be able to generate electricity by arbitrarily selecting either an operating mode in which hydrogen gas is supplied to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 from all of the N=6 (six) hydrogen canisters C, C... connected to the canister connection unit 3 (hereinafter also referred to as the "full use mode"), or an operating mode in which hydrogen gas is supplied to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 from M=3 (three) hydrogen canisters C, C, C of the six (six) hydrogen canisters C, C, C connected to the canister connection unit 3, and when the remaining hydrogen levels in these three hydrogen canisters C, C, C decrease to a predetermined level, hydrogen gas is supplied to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 from the other M=3 hydrogen canisters C, C, C of the N=6 hydrogen canisters C, C... (hereinafter also referred to as the "alternate use mode").

[0037] The pump 5 is a "first supply section "oh and "Third Supply Department" "ofand supplies new air to the power generation cell 11 (oxygen separator) and the cooling cell 12 by drawing air (atmospheric air), which is an example of the "first gas" and "third gas," from the fuel cell power generation unit 2 (the oxygen separator of the power generation cell 11 and the cooling cell 12) under the control of the control unit 8. 。

[0038] The heating unit 6 is an example of a "heating unit" and is configured to use, as a "heating fluid," air that has been supplied by the pump 5 to the power generation cell 11 (oxygen separator) and reacted with hydrogen (hydrogen gas), and air that has been supplied by the pump 5 to the cooling cell 12 and cooled the power generation cell 11, and to heat the hydrogen canister C by heat exchange with the air that serves as the "heating fluid." In this case, in the power supply device 1 of this example, the heating unit 6a is configured to include a "pipe body arranged near the storage unit." (first heating section) and heating section 6b (Second heating section) The heating unit 6 is configured with the above components.

[0039] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the heating units 6a and 6b each include spiral tubes 21a to 21f (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "spiral tubes 21" when not distinguishing between them) made of metal pipes wound in a spiral shape so that the inner diameter is large enough to fit the hydrogen canister C through, and a flow path switching unit 22 that switches the air flow path for each spiral tube 21 under the control of the control unit 8. The heating units 6a and 6b are configured to be able to heat the hydrogen canister C by heat radiation from the spiral tubes 21 when air is supplied to the spiral tubes 21 (" First Supply Section "The first gas drawn by the first pump can be used as a heating fluid to heat the reservoir," and " Third Supply Section (An example of a configuration in which the third gas sucked by the heater is used as a heating fluid to heat the storage unit.)

[0040] In this case, as an example, the power supply device 1 of this example employs a configuration in which air as a "heating fluid" is caused to flow from the fuel cell power generation unit 2 through the heating unit 6a, drain trap 7, pump 5, and heating unit 6b in this order, and the hydrogen canister C is heated in the heating units 6a and 6b. Note that in the power supply device 1 of this example, the configuration in which the hydrogen canister C is heated by the heating unit 6b corresponds to the configuration in which "the first gas from which moisture has been removed in the drain trap is used as a heating fluid to heat the storage unit."

[0041] The drain trap 7 is an example of a "drain trap" and is configured to separate and remove moisture from the air drawn from the fuel cell power generation unit 2 by the pump 5. The removal of moisture by the drain trap 7 will be described in detail later.

[0042] The control unit 8 is an example of a "control unit" and controls the overall power supply device 1. Specifically, the control unit 8 controls the supply of air to the power generation cell 11 (oxygen separator) by the pump 5 (air suction from the power generation cell 11) and the supply of hydrogen from the hydrogen canister C to the power generation cell 11 (hydrogen separator) by the flow rate adjustment unit 4, thereby generating electricity in the power generation cell 11, and also controls the supply of air to the cooling cell 12 by the pump 5 (air suction from the cooling cell 12), thereby cooling the power generation cell 11. The control unit 8 also controls the flow path switching unit 22 in the heating unit 6 (heating units 6a and 6b) to switch the air flow path for each spiral tube 21.

[0043] In this power supply device 1, air-permeable piping (e.g., heat-resistant and elastically deformable tubing such as rubber tubing) is used between the power generation cell 11 (oxygen separator) and cooling cell 12 of the fuel cell power generation unit 2 and the heating unit 6a (each spiral tube 21), between the heating unit 6a and the drain trap 7, between the drain trap 7 and the pump 5, and between the pump 5 and the heating unit 6b (each spiral tube 21). The length and routing of these piping can be freely specified as long as they do not result in an excessive drop in the temperature of the air passing through them. Therefore, depending on the power generation capacity required for the power supply device 1 and the size and shape allowable for the application, the positional relationship between the fuel cell power generation unit 2 (both cells 11, 12) and the heating unit 6a, the positional relationship between the heating unit 6a and the drain trap 7, the positional relationship between the drain trap 7 and the pump 5, and the positional relationship between the pump 5 and the heating unit 6b can be freely specified, and the piping can be arranged according to the specified positional relationships.

[0044] Furthermore, when generating electricity using this power supply device 1 and supplying the electricity to a supply target, a hydrogen canister C filled with hydrogen gas is inserted into each spiral tube 21 of the heating unit 6, as shown in Fig. 2. In this case, as shown in Fig. 3, in the power supply device 1 of this example, as an example, both heating units 6a, 6b are configured so that the spiral tube 21 constituting heating unit 6a is positioned around the lower part of the hydrogen canister C, and the spiral tube 21 constituting heating unit 6b is positioned around the upper part of the hydrogen canister C (near the hydrogen gas outlet). Next, each hydrogen canister C is connected to a canister connection unit 3, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

[0045] Next, after connecting the supply target to the power supply device 1, an operation unit (not shown) is operated to start power generation (supply of power to the supply target). At this time, the control unit 8 controls the pump 5 to start suction of air from the fuel cell power generation unit 2. At this time, new air is supplied to the power generation cell 11 (oxygen separator) by suction of air from the power generation cell 11 (oxygen separator) in the fuel cell power generation unit 2, and new air is supplied to the cooling cell 12 by suction of air from the cooling cell 12 in the fuel cell power generation unit 2.

[0046] The control unit 8 also controls the flow rate adjustment unit 4 to start the supply of hydrogen to the fuel cell power generation unit 2. In this case, the power supply device 1 of this example is configured so that, as described above, either the "full use mode" or the "alternate use mode" can be selected to supply hydrogen from the hydrogen canister C to the fuel cell power generation unit 2.

[0047] Here, when the "alternate use mode" is selected and all six hydrogen canisters C connected to canister connection unit 3 are filled with a sufficient amount of hydrogen, control unit 8 controls flow rate adjustment unit 4 to supply hydrogen to power generation cell 11 (hydrogen separator) using only the hydrogen canisters C inserted in spiral tubes 21a to 21c (hereinafter also referred to as "hydrogen canisters Ca to Cc") as the hydrogen supply source, and when the remaining hydrogen in these three hydrogen canisters Ca to Cc drops to a predetermined amount, the three hydrogen canisters C inserted in spiral tubes 21d to 21f (hereinafter also referred to as "hydrogen canisters Cd to Cf") are used as new supply sources to supply hydrogen to power generation cell 11 (hydrogen separator) instead of hydrogen canisters Ca to Cc.

[0048] Furthermore, when the remaining amount of hydrogen in hydrogen canisters Cd to Cf drops to a predetermined amount, if new hydrogen canisters Ca to Cc (hydrogen canisters C filled with sufficient hydrogen) are inserted into spiral tubes 21a to 21c and connected to canister connection unit 3, hydrogen is supplied to power generation cell 11 (hydrogen separator) using hydrogen canisters Ca to Cc as a new supply source instead of hydrogen canisters Cd to Cf. Similarly, when the remaining amount of hydrogen in hydrogen canisters Ca to Cc drops to a predetermined amount, if new hydrogen canisters Cd to Cf are inserted into spiral tubes 21d to 21f and connected to canister connection unit 3, hydrogen is supplied to power generation cell 11 (hydrogen separator) using hydrogen canisters Cd to Cf as a new supply source instead of hydrogen canisters Ca to Cc.

[0049] On the other hand, when new air is supplied to the power generation cell 11 (oxygen separator) of the fuel cell power generation unit 2 by suction using the pump 5, and hydrogen is supplied from the hydrogen canisters Ca to Cc to the power generation cell 11 (hydrogen separator) via the canister connection unit 3 and the flow rate adjustment unit 4, electricity is generated in the power generation cell 11 by the reaction between the hydrogen and oxygen in the air, and this electricity is supplied from the power supply device 1 to the supply target.

[0050] At this time, the temperature of the power generation cell 11 rises due to the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen (exothermic reaction) and the presence of resistance components in each conductive member, and if this temperature becomes excessively high, it becomes difficult to generate electricity properly. Therefore, the power supply device 1 of this example employs a configuration in which new air is supplied to the cooling cell 12 by suction using the pump 5, and the power generation cell 11 is cooled by heat exchange with this air. This prevents an excessive temperature rise in the power generation cell 11, and also allows the air whose temperature has risen due to heat exchange with the power generation cell 11 to be exhausted from the cooling cell 12.

[0051] Furthermore, the air sucked into the power generation cell 11 (oxygen separator) by the suction of the pump 5 has its oxygen content reduced by reaction with hydrogen, and is discharged from the power generation cell 11 (oxygen separator) in a state containing water generated by the combination of hydrogen and oxygen. This air is discharged from the power generation cell 11 in a state where its temperature has increased due to the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen (exothermic reaction) and heat exchange with the power generation cell 11.

[0052] On the other hand, the mixture of high-temperature air exhausted from both cells 11, 12 of fuel cell power generation unit 2 is passed through heating unit 6a and drain trap 7 in this order in heating unit 6, and then is taken into pump 5. At this time, flow path switching unit 22 of heating unit 6a, under the control of control unit 8, switches the flow path so that the mixture exhausted from fuel cell power generation unit 2 passes through spiral tubes 21a-21c surrounding hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc that are supplying hydrogen to fuel cell power generation unit 2, and does not pass through spiral tubes 21d-21f surrounding hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf that are not supplying hydrogen to fuel cell power generation unit 2. air-fuel mixture Switch the air flow path.

[0053] As a result, the hydrogen canisters Cd to Cf that are not supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 are not heated, and the hydrogen canisters Ca to Cc that are supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 are heated by heat dissipation from the spiral tubes 21a to 21c, preventing the temperature of these three hydrogen canisters Ca to Cc from dropping excessively due to an endothermic reaction, and maintaining a state in which a necessary and sufficient amount of hydrogen can be supplied to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 (power generation cells 11) (an example of the process of "supplying heating fluid so that the degree of heating of M storage units is greater than the degree of heating of L storage units excluding M storage units out of N storage units").

[0054] Furthermore, the air that has passed through the heating unit 6a (spiral tubes 21a-21c) flows into the drain trap 7 in a state where its temperature has been reduced by heat dissipation from the spiral tubes 21a-21c. In this case, as described above, the air exhausted from the power generation cells 11 (oxygen separators) of the fuel cell power generation unit 2 contains moisture. However, as the temperature is reduced when the air passes through the heating unit 6a (spiral tubes 21a-21c), some of the moisture in the gas phase is converted into a liquid phase, and the air is released from the heating unit 6a in a state where the relative humidity is higher than when the air was exhausted from the power generation cells 11. Therefore, by allowing air in this state to flow into the drain trap 7, the moisture contained in the air can be suitably separated and removed. This prevents the pump 5 from sucking in moisture-laden air, and prevents damage to the pump 5 and a decrease in suction efficiency due to the suction of liquid moisture.

[0055] Furthermore, the air exhausted from the pump 5 (pumped by the pump 5) is passed through the spiral tube 21 of the heating unit 6b in the heating unit 6, and then subjected to processing required in the environment in which the power supply device 1 is used before being released into the atmosphere. At this time, the flow path switching unit 22 of the heating unit 6b, under the control of the control unit 8, switches the air exhausted from the pump 5 so that it passes through the spiral tubes 21a-21c surrounding the hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc that are supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell power generation unit 2, and does not pass through the spiral tubes 21d-21f surrounding the hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf that are not supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell power generation unit 2. air-fuel mixture Switch the air flow path.

[0056] In this case, the air that passes through the drain trap 7 and is drawn into the pump 5 is cooled below the temperature when it was exhausted from the fuel cell power generation unit 2 by heating the hydrogen canisters Ca to Cc in the heating unit 6a (heat is dissipated from the spiral tubes 21a to 21c), but the temperature is raised again during the compression stroke of the pump 5 and by heat exchange with the pump 5, which is at a high temperature. For this reason, the temperature of the air introduced into the heating unit 6b is extremely high.

[0057] Therefore, by supplying this air to heating unit 6b, heat dissipated from spiral tubes 21a-21c sufficiently heats hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc that are supplying hydrogen to fuel cell power generation unit 2. This reliably prevents a situation in which the three hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc that are releasing hydrogen are heated and an endothermic reaction causes an excessive drop in temperature, without heating hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf that are not supplying hydrogen to fuel cell power generation unit 2, and reliably maintains a state in which a necessary and sufficient amount of hydrogen can be supplied to fuel cell power generation unit 2 (power generation cells 11).

[0058] On the other hand, when it becomes difficult to release a sufficient amount of hydrogen from the three hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc heated by the spiral tubes 21a-21c of the heating units 6a, 6b (when the remaining hydrogen level in the hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc falls below a specified level), the control unit 8 controls the flow rate adjustment unit 4 to use the hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf as the hydrogen supply source instead of the hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc to supply hydrogen to the power generation cell 11 (hydrogen separator), and also causes a display unit (not shown) to display that the remaining hydrogen levels in the hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc have fallen to a specified value (for example, by lighting an indicator indicating the low remaining level). This allows the hydrogen necessary for power generation to be continuously supplied to the fuel cell power generation unit 2.

[0059] Furthermore, a user who recognizes that the remaining amount of hydrogen in a hydrogen canister Ca to Cc has fallen to a predetermined value will replace the hydrogen canister Ca to Cc with a new hydrogen canister C before the remaining amount of hydrogen in the hydrogen canisters Cd to Cf falls to the predetermined value. This makes it possible to continuously supply hydrogen needed for power generation to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 from the new hydrogen canister Ca to Cc when the remaining amount of hydrogen in the hydrogen canisters Cd to Cf falls to the predetermined value.

[0060] Furthermore, in parallel with the process of switching the hydrogen supply source to the hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf, the control unit 8 controls the flow path switching unit 22 of the heating unit 6 (heating units 6a, 6b) so that the mixture gas discharged from the fuel cell power generation unit 2 passes through the spiral tubes 21d-21f surrounding the hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf that are supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell power generation unit 2, and does not pass through the spiral tubes 21a-21c surrounding the hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc that are not supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell power generation unit 2. air-fuel mixture Switch the air flow path.

[0061] As a result, the hydrogen canisters Ca to Cc that are not supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 are not heated, and the hydrogen canisters Cd to Cc that are supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 are heated by heat radiation from the spiral tubes 21d to 21f. Cf This prevents the three hydrogen canisters Cd to Cf from excessively dropping in temperature due to an endothermic reaction, and maintains a state in which a necessary and sufficient amount of hydrogen can be supplied to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 (power generation cell 11) (another example of the process of "supplying heating fluid so that the degree of heating of M storage units is greater than the degree of heating of L storage units excluding M storage units out of N storage units").

[0062] Furthermore, the air that has been passed through heating unit 6a (spiral tubes 21d to 21f) has moisture removed when it passes through drain trap 7, and is then sucked into pump 5 and supplied to heating unit 6b (spiral tubes 21d to 21f). In this case, as described above, the temperature of the air discharged from pump 5 is raised again during the compression stroke, and is further raised by the heat generated by the operation of pump 5, resulting in an extremely high temperature.

[0063] Therefore, when this air is supplied to heating unit 6b, heat is released from spiral tubes 21d-21f to heat hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf that are supplying hydrogen to fuel cell power generation unit 2. This reliably prevents a situation in which the three hydrogen canisters Cd-Cf that are releasing hydrogen are heated and an endothermic reaction causes an excessive drop in temperature, without heating hydrogen canisters Ca-Cc that are not supplying hydrogen to fuel cell power generation unit 2, and reliably maintains a state in which a necessary and sufficient amount of hydrogen can be supplied to fuel cell power generation unit 2 (power generation cells 11).

[0064] Although detailed explanation is omitted, when the remaining amount of hydrogen in hydrogen canisters Cd to Cf falls below a specified amount, a process is carried out in which hydrogen canisters Ca to Cc become the hydrogen supply source instead of hydrogen canisters Cd to Cf, in the same way as when the remaining amount of hydrogen in hydrogen canisters Ca to Cc falls below the specified amount. This allows the hydrogen necessary for power generation to be continuously supplied to fuel cell power generation unit 2.

[0065] In this way, this power supply device 1 is configured to be able to supply the electricity generated by the fuel cell power generation unit 2 to a supply target, and is also equipped with a heating unit 6 configured to be able to heat the hydrogen canister C by heat exchange with the "heating fluid," using the "first gas (in this example, air)" that is supplied to the power generation cell 11 of the fuel cell power generation unit 2 by the "first supply unit (in this example, pump 5)" and reacted with the "second gas (in this example, hydrogen (hydrogen gas))" as a "heating fluid."

[0066] Furthermore, this power supply device 1 is configured to be able to supply the electricity generated by the fuel cell power generation unit 2 to a supply target, and is equipped with a heating unit 6 configured to be able to heat the hydrogen canister C by heat exchange with the "heating fluid" using a "third gas (in this example, air)" that is supplied to the cooling cell 12 of the fuel cell power generation unit 2 by a "third supply unit (in this example, pump 5)" to cool the power generation cell 11.

[0067] Therefore, according to the power supply device 1 described above, unlike a configuration in which the fuel cell power generation unit 2 and the hydrogen canister C are directly connected by a thermal connection member or the like and heat is transferred from the fuel cell power generation unit 2 to the hydrogen canister C, even if the relative positions of the fuel cell power generation unit 2 and the hydrogen canister C are arbitrarily determined, the hydrogen canister C can be reliably and easily heated by supplying the air exhausted from the fuel cell power generation unit 2 to the heating unit 6 (heating units 6a, 6b). This allows for a sufficient amount of hydrogen to be reliably and continuously supplied from the hydrogen canister C to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 while fully improving the degree of freedom in designing the power supply device 1. Furthermore, because it is possible to heat multiple hydrogen canisters C without increasing the complexity or size of the configuration, hydrogen can be stably supplied to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 without incurring a rise in manufacturing costs.

[0068] Furthermore, according to this power supply device 1, the heating section 6 is configured to include spiral tubes 21a-21f arranged near the hydrogen canister C, and a "heating fluid" is supplied to the spiral tubes 21a-21f, thereby enabling the hydrogen canister C to be heated by heat dissipation from the spiral tubes 21a-21f. This makes it possible to heat the hydrogen canister C by heat dissipation from the spiral tubes 21a-21f, without allowing moisture and the like contained in the air exhausted from the fuel cell power generation section 2 to adhere to the hydrogen canister C. This makes it possible to generate electricity optimally even when a loaned hydrogen canister C or a hydrogen canister C that is not allowed to have moisture and the like adhered to it is used as the "storage section."

[0069] Furthermore, in this power supply device 1, the "second supply unit (in this example, the canister connection unit 3 and the flow rate adjustment unit 4)" is configured to be able to connect N=6 hydrogen canisters C and to supply a "second gas" from a pre-specified M=3 hydrogen canisters C out of the six hydrogen canisters C to the power generation cell 11, and the heating unit 6 is configured to be able to supply a "heating fluid" so that the degree of heating of the three hydrogen canisters C is greater than the degree of heating of the L=3 hydrogen canisters C excluding the M=3 hydrogen canisters C out of the six hydrogen canisters C.

[0070] Therefore, with this described power supply device 1, it is possible to avoid a situation in which a hydrogen canister C that is not supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 is unnecessarily heated, which would cause the internal pressure of that hydrogen canister C to become excessively high and create a dangerous situation.It is also possible to efficiently heat the hydrogen canister C that is supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell power generation unit 2, thereby avoiding an excessive drop in temperature due to the endothermic effect, and more reliably supply a necessary and sufficient amount of hydrogen from that hydrogen canister C to the fuel cell power generation unit 2.

[0071] Furthermore, in this power supply device 1, the "first supply unit" includes a pump 5 that draws in a "first gas" from the power generation cell 11, and the heating unit 6 is configured to be able to heat the hydrogen canister C using the "first gas" drawn in by the pump 5 as a "heating fluid." Furthermore, in this power supply device 1, the "third supply unit" includes a pump 5 that draws in a "third gas" from the cooling cell 12, and the heating unit 6 is configured to be able to heat the hydrogen canister C using the "third gas" drawn in by the pump 5 as a "heating fluid."

[0072] Therefore, this Power supply device 1According to this configuration, unlike a configuration in which air is compressed by a pressure-type "pump" to the fuel cell power generation unit 2 and the air that has passed through the fuel cell power generation unit 2 is then supplied to the heating unit 6 to heat the hydrogen canister C, the high-temperature air exhausted from the fuel cell power generation unit 2 can be reliably supplied to the heating unit 6 without causing a situation in which the movement of the air becomes difficult due to pressure loss before it reaches the heating unit 6, and without interfering with the supply of new air to the fuel cell power generation unit 2.

[0073] Furthermore, according to this power supply device 1, the heating section 6 (heating section 6b) uses the "first gas" from which moisture has been removed in the drain trap 7 as a "heating fluid" to heat the hydrogen canister C, thereby making it possible to preferably avoid a situation in which liquid-phase moisture is discharged from the heating section 6 (heating section 6b) together with the air exhausted from the heating section 6 (heating section 6b) after the hydrogen canister C has been heated.

[0074] The configuration of the "power supply device" is not limited to the example of the configuration of the power supply device 1 described above.

[0075] For example, the power supply device 1A shown in Fig. 4 is another example of a "power supply device," and is configured with a heating section 9, which is another example of a "heating section," instead of the heating section 6 in the power supply device 1 described above. Note that components in this power supply device 1A that have the same functions as those in the power supply device 1 are given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0076] In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the heating section 9 in this power supply device 1A is equipped with canister storage sections 25a to 25f (an example of a "storage section"; hereinafter, when no distinction is made, they will also be referred to as "canister storage sections 25") that can each store N-6 (six) hydrogen canisters C, and employs a configuration in which air is supplied to each canister storage section 25 as a "heating fluid," thereby blowing the air onto the hydrogen canisters C within the canister storage section 25 to heat them.

[0077] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, this power supply device 1A employs a configuration in which high-temperature air exhausted from the fuel cell power generation unit 2 (the oxygen separator of the power generation cell 11 and the cooling cell 12) by suction with the pump 5 has moisture removed as it passes through the drain trap 7, and this air is supplied to each canister storage section 25 of the heating unit 9 as a "heating fluid" (another example of a configuration in which "the first gas from which moisture has been removed in the drain trap is used as a heating fluid to heat the storage section").

[0078] 5, flow path switching unit 22 of heating unit 9 in this power supply device 1A switches the flow path under the control of control unit 8 so that the air that has passed through drain trap 7 is supplied to either canister accommodating units 25a to 25c or canister accommodating units 25d to 25f. As a result, similar to heating unit 6 in the above-described power supply device 1, when the "alternate use mode" is selected, it is possible to selectively heat either the hydrogen canisters C accommodated in canister accommodating units 25a to 25c (hereinafter also referred to as "hydrogen canisters Ca to Cc") or the hydrogen canisters C accommodated in canister accommodating units 25d to 25f (hereinafter also referred to as "hydrogen canisters Cd to Cf").

[0079] In this power supply device 1A, air (first gas) supplied by pump 5 to the power generation cell 11 (oxygen separator) and reacted with hydrogen (hydrogen gas), and air (third gas) supplied by pump 5 to the cooling cell 12 and used to cool the power generation cell 11 are used as "heating fluids." By supplying this air as "heating fluid" to the heating section 9 (canister storage section 25), high-temperature air is blown onto the hydrogen canister C stored in the canister storage section 25, thereby heating the hydrogen canister C.

[0080] The operation of this power supply device 1A is the same as when the power supply device 1 generates electricity, except that the air exhausted from the fuel cell power generation unit 2 is supplied to the canister accommodating unit 25 and blown onto the hydrogen canister C, so detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0081] Thus, according to this power supply device 1A, the heating section 9 is configured so that the hydrogen canister C can be heated by spraying a "heating fluid" onto the hydrogen canister C, and thus the hydrogen canister C can be reliably heated by the high-temperature air exhausted from the fuel cell power generation section 2, despite the relatively simple configuration.

[0082] Furthermore, this power supply device 1A is provided with a canister accommodating section 25 that can accommodate a hydrogen canister C, and by supplying a "heating fluid" to the canister accommodating section 25, the heating section 9 is configured to be able to spray the "heating fluid" onto the hydrogen canister C within the canister accommodating section 25. As a result, the high-temperature air sprayed onto the hydrogen canister C is not reflected by the hydrogen canister C and sprayed onto the components around the hydrogen canister C, so the hydrogen canister C within the canister accommodating section 25 can be heated efficiently, and it is possible to preferably avoid a situation in which the components around the hydrogen canister C are unnecessarily heated.

[0083] Meanwhile, the heating section 9 in the above-described power supply device 1A is configured to include canister housing sections 25a-25f, each capable of housing N=6 (six) hydrogen canisters C, and to supply high-temperature air to either canister housing sections 25a-25c or canister housing sections 25d-25f by switching the flow path using flow path switching section 22. However, instead of this configuration, as shown in FIG. 6 , a heating section 9A can be configured to include a single canister housing section 26 (another example of a “housing section”) capable of housing six hydrogen canisters C, so that the supplied air passes sequentially around the N=6 (six) hydrogen canisters C. In this heating section 9A, high-temperature air that has risen in temperature in the fuel cell power generation section 2 is supplied to canister housing section 26 and passed from inlet 26i to outlet 26o, thereby allowing the air to be blown sequentially onto the hydrogen canisters C in canister housing section 26 to heat them.

[0084] 7, two inlets 27i1, 27i2 and two outlets 27o1, 27o2 can be provided in a canister housing section 27 capable of housing N=6 (six) hydrogen canisters C. In this case, in the heating section 9B shown in the same figure, the air flow from the inlet 27i1 toward the outlet 27o1 and the air flow from the inlet 27i2 toward the outlet 27o2 are countercurrent flows, and the positions of the hydrogen canisters C are specified so that a portion of the air introduced into the canister housing section 27 from the inlet 27i1 is blown onto the hydrogen canister C closest to the outlet 27o2, and a portion of the air introduced into the canister housing section 27 from the inlet 27i2 is blown onto the hydrogen canister C closest to the outlet 27o1. This makes it possible for the heating section 9B to heat the six hydrogen canisters C almost evenly.

[0085] 8 is configured to include canister accommodating portions 25a to 25f that can accommodate a hydrogen canister C, similar to canister accommodating portion 25 in heating portion 9, instead of heating portion 6b in heating portion 6 described above. This makes it possible for heating portion 9C to suitably heat the hydrogen canister C by spiral tube 21 of heating portion 6a and canister accommodating portion 25, similar to heating portion 6 that includes heating portions 6a and 6b.

[0086] Furthermore, the example described above uses a configuration in which air is supplied as a "heating fluid" to the "heating section" to heat the "storage section." However, if a configuration is adopted in which an "oxidizer-containing gas" other than air is used as the "first gas," or if any gas other than air is used as the "third gas," these gases can be used to generate electricity in the "fuel cell power generation section," and the high-temperature gas exhausted from the "fuel cell power generation section" can be used as a "heating fluid" to heat the "storage section."

[0087] add In addition, although an example of a configuration in which power is generated using N=6 (six pieces) hydrogen canisters C has been described, the number of "storage sections" is not limited to this and can be any number other than six, or can be one. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 1,1A power supply 2. Fuel cell power generation section 3 Canister connection 4 Flow rate adjustment section 5 Pump5 6,6a,6b,9,9A~9C Heating part 7 Drain trap 11 Power generation cell 12 Cooling cell 21a~21f spiral tube 22 Flow path switching section 25a~25f, 26, 27 Canister storage section 25i,26i,27i1,27i2 Inlet 25o,26o,27o1,27o2 outlet C Hydrogen canister

Claims

1. a fuel cell power generation unit including a power generation cell configured to generate electricity by reacting a first gas containing an oxidant with a second gas containing hydrogen, and a cooling cell that cools the power generation cell by heat exchange with a third gas; a first supply unit that supplies the first gas to the power generation cell; a second supply unit configured to be connectable to a storage unit in which the second gas is occluded and to supply the second gas from the storage unit to the power generation cell; a third supply unit that supplies the third gas to the cooling cell; a control unit that controls the supply of the first gas by the first supply unit, the supply of the second gas by the second supply unit, and the supply of the third gas by the third supply unit; a power supply device configured to be able to supply power generated by the fuel cell power generation unit to a supply target, a heating unit configured to be able to heat the storage unit by heat exchange with the heating fluid, using the first gas supplied to the power generation cell by the first supply unit and reacted with the second gas, and the third gas supplied to the cooling cell by the third supply unit and cooling the power generation cell, as heating fluids, and the first supply unit and the third supply unit are configured by one pump; The heating unit is configured to be able to use a mixture of the first gas sucked from the power generation cell by the one pump and the third gas sucked from the cooling cell by the one pump as the heating fluid, and the power supply device is equipped with a first heating unit that uses the mixture as the heating fluid upstream of the one pump in the flow path of the mixture to heat the storage unit, and a second heating unit that uses the mixture as the heating fluid downstream of the one pump in the flow path of the mixture to heat the storage unit.

2. A drain trap is provided between a first heating section in the flow path of the air-fuel mixture and the one pump to remove moisture from the air-fuel mixture; 2. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the second heating section heats the storage section by using, as the heating fluid, the air-fuel mixture from which moisture has been removed in the drain trap and which is discharged from the one pump.

3. 2. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit includes a pipe body arranged near the storage unit, and the heating fluid is supplied to the pipe body so that the storage unit can be heated by heat radiation from the pipe body.

4. 2. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the heating section is configured to spray the heating fluid onto the storage section to heat the storage section.

5. 5. The power supply device according to claim 4, wherein the heating unit is provided with a housing portion capable of housing the storage portion, and is configured so that the heating fluid can be supplied to the housing portion and sprayed onto the storage portion within the housing portion.

6. the second supply unit is configured to be connectable to N storage units (N is a natural number equal to or greater than 2) and to be able to supply the second gas from pre-designated M storage units (M is a natural number equal to or less than (N-1)) among the N storage units to the power generation cell; 2. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit is configured to supply the heating fluid so that the degree of heating of the M storage units is greater than the degree of heating of the L storage units excluding the M storage units among the N storage units.

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