Fuel supply system and power generation system

Abstract

To continuously supply a sufficient amount of a second gas (hydrogen gas) to a fuel battery unit.SOLUTION: When predefined vessel change conditions are satisfied, a control unit 19 makes water W stored in a temperature-adjusted liquid tank 10 that accommodates a canister C which supplies hydrogen gas G among temperature-adjusted liquid tanks 10 flow to a temperature-adjusted liquid tank 10 in which the amount of stored water W is below a predefined first liquid storage amount, and makes the water W stored in the temperature-adjusted liquid tank 10 that accommodates a canister C to which hydrogen gas G is fed among the temperature-adjusted liquid tanks 10 flow to the temperature-adjusted liquid tank 10 that accommodates the canister C which supplies the hydrogen gas G. After that, the control unit supplies water W heated by a condenser 22 and water W cooled by an evaporator 25 to defined temperature adjustment liquid tanks 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a fuel supply device configured to supply a second gas containing hydrogen to a fuel cell unit, and a power generation system configured to be capable of generating power including such a fuel supply device and a fuel cell unit.

Background Art

[0002] For example, the following patent document discloses a fuel cell configured to be able to generate power by reacting outside air (oxygen) and fuel (hydrogen) in a power generation unit. In this fuel cell, a hydrogen storage alloy is accommodated in a fuel tank, and a configuration is adopted in which hydrogen released from this hydrogen storage alloy reacts with oxygen in the outside air to generate electric power. In this case, when hydrogen is released from the hydrogen storage alloy, the temperature of the hydrogen storage alloy (fuel tank) decreases due to an endothermic reaction. Also, it is known that the hydrogen release rate (the amount released per unit time) of the hydrogen storage alloy decreases as its temperature decreases. 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 decreasing and maintain a temperature at which hydrogen can be suitably released from the hydrogen storage alloy.

[0003] Therefore, in this fuel cell, a configuration is adopted in which the fuel tank is heated by using the heat generated in the power generation unit by the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to maintain a suitable temperature. Specifically, this fuel cell includes a fixed heat connection member fixed to the fuel tank, an external heat radiation unit for releasing the heat of the power generation unit to the outside, and a movable heat connection member that selectively transfers the heat of the power generation unit to either the fixed heat connection member or the external heat radiation unit. Further, in this fuel cell, the movable heat connection member is constantly brought into contact with the power generation unit, and a drive unit including a shape memory alloy spring and a bias spring whose shape is deformed by temperature is used to move the movable heat connection member and bring it into contact with either the fixed heat connection member or the external heat radiation unit.

[0004] More specifically, in this fuel cell, a movable thermal connector is moved by a drive unit, and the power generation unit and a fixed thermal connector are thermally connected via the movable thermal connector. As a result, the heat generated in the power generation unit is transferred to the fuel tank, which heats the hydrogen storage alloy and maintains a temperature at which the required hydrogen can be released. Furthermore, in this fuel cell, the movable thermal connector is moved by a drive unit, and the power generation unit and an external heat dissipation unit are thermally connected via the movable thermal connector. As a result, the heat generated in the power generation unit is not transferred to the fuel tank but is released from the external heat dissipation unit, thus preventing an excessive temperature rise in the fuel tank. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2007-080587 (pages 5-18, Figure 1-10C) [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] However, the fuel cell disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document has the following problems that need to be solved. Specifically, in the fuel cell disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document, in order to avoid a decrease in the amount of hydrogen released per unit time from the fuel tank (hydrogen storage alloy) due to the temperature drop caused by the endothermic reaction, a configuration is adopted in which the heat generated in the power generation section is used to heat the fuel tank.

[0007] On the other hand, the applicant has prototyped a power generation system equipped with multiple hydrogen gas storage units (fuel tanks) that can supply hydrogen gas to a fuel cell unit (power generation unit) during power generation from one of the storage units, while simultaneously allowing hydrogen gas generated by a hydrogen gas generator to flow into another storage unit for storage. With this power generation system, when the amount of hydrogen gas remaining in the storage unit supplying hydrogen gas to the fuel cell unit decreases, the fuel cell unit can continue to generate power by supplying hydrogen gas to the fuel cell unit from another storage unit where hydrogen gas generated by a hydrogen gas generator is stored, instead of the storage unit with low levels. In addition, by allowing hydrogen gas generated by a hydrogen gas generator to flow into the storage unit with low levels in parallel with the supply of hydrogen gas from other storage units, when the amount of hydrogen gas remaining in the newly started storage unit decreases, the storage unit can be switched again to continue supplying hydrogen gas.

[0008] In this case, even in the power generation system prototyped by the applicant using the same configuration as disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document, it is possible to avoid a decrease in the amount of hydrogen gas supplied per unit time by heating the storage unit that supplies hydrogen gas to the fuel cell unit. However, when attempting to store hydrogen gas by flowing it into the storage unit whose remaining amount has decreased after switching the storage unit as described above, the high temperature of the storage unit, which was heated just before the switch, reduces the efficiency of hydrogen storage in the hydrogen storage alloy. As a result, it takes a long time for a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas to be stored, and when the remaining amount in the storage unit supplying hydrogen gas to the fuel cell unit decreases and it becomes necessary to switch the storage unit again, there may not be enough hydrogen gas stored in the storage unit into which the hydrogen gas generated by the hydrogen gas generator is flowing. In such a case, the supply of hydrogen gas to the fuel cell unit will start from a storage unit that does not have enough hydrogen gas stored, and it will become necessary to switch the storage unit again in a short time.

[0009] Thus, while the configuration disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document can avoid a decrease in the amount of hydrogen gas released per unit time by heating the storage unit (fuel tank), it has the problem that it is not possible to efficiently store hydrogen gas in the storage unit whose remaining amount has decreased due to the supply of hydrogen gas, and as a result, it may be difficult to continuously supply hydrogen gas to the fuel cell unit.

[0010] This invention has been made in view of the problems that need to be solved, and its main objective is to provide a fuel supply device and a power generation system that can continuously supply a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas (second gas) to a fuel cell unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] To achieve the above objective, the fuel supply device according to claim 1 is configured to supply a second gas to a fuel cell unit configured to generate electricity by reacting a first gas containing an oxidizer with a second gas containing hydrogen, and comprises: a plurality of storage containers capable of storing the second gas; at least three storage tanks configured to accommodate the storage containers and to store a heat transfer fluid that adjusts the temperature of the storage containers by heat exchange with the storage containers; a temperature adjustment unit having a heating unit for heating the heat transfer fluid and a cooling unit for cooling the heat transfer fluid; a heat transfer fluid supply unit that supplies the heat transfer fluid heated by the heating unit to one of the storage tanks and supplies the heat transfer fluid cooled by the cooling unit to any other of the storage tanks; and a gas flow path that allows the second gas generated by a gas generator to flow into the storage containers located in any of the storage tanks for storage and supplies the second gas stored in the storage containers located in any other of the storage tanks to the fuel cell unit. The system comprises a switching unit and a control unit that controls the temperature adjustment of the heat transfer fluid by the temperature adjustment unit, the supply of the heat transfer fluid by the heat transfer fluid supply unit, and the switching of the flow path of the second gas by the gas flow path switching unit, wherein the control unit causes the heat transfer fluid heated by the heating unit to be supplied to the first storage tank containing the storage container that supplies the second gas among the storage tanks, and causes the heat transfer fluid cooled by the cooling unit to be supplied to the second storage tank containing the storage container that allows the second gas to flow into, When the amount of the second gas stored in each of the aforementioned storage tanks exceeds a predetermined first storage amount, the amount of the heat transfer fluid stored in the third storage tank, which houses the storage containers for which the supply of the second gas and the inflow of the second gas have not occurred, is maintained to be less than the predetermined first storage amount, and when the predetermined container change conditions are met, the heat transfer fluid stored in the first storage tank is allowed to flow into the third storage tank, and the heat transfer fluid stored in the second storage tank is allowed to flow into the first storage tank,The third storage tank is treated as a new first storage tank, and the supply of the heat transfer fluid heated by the heating unit to the new first storage tank, and the supply of the second gas from the storage container housed in the new first storage tank are initiated. The first storage tank is treated as a new second storage tank, and the supply of the heat transfer fluid cooled by the cooling unit to the new second storage tank, and the inflow of the second gas into the storage container housed in the new second storage tank are initiated. Simultaneously, the second storage tank is treated as a new third storage tank, and the amount of heat transfer fluid stored in the new third storage tank falls below the predetermined first storage amount, and the supply of the second gas to the storage container housed in the new third storage tank and the inflow of the second gas are maintained.

[0012] The fuel supply device according to claim 2 is a fuel supply device configured to supply a second gas to a fuel cell unit configured to generate electricity by reacting a first gas containing an oxidizer with a second gas containing hydrogen, comprising: a plurality of storage containers capable of storing the second gas; at least three storage tanks configured to accommodate the storage containers and to store a heat transfer fluid that adjusts the temperature of the storage containers by heat exchange with the storage containers; a temperature adjustment unit having a heating unit for heating the heat transfer fluid and a cooling unit for cooling the heat transfer fluid; and the heating unit A heat transfer fluid supply unit supplies the heated heat transfer fluid to one of the storage tanks and the cooled heat transfer fluid to the other of the storage tanks; a gas flow path switching unit flows the second gas generated by the gas generator into the storage container located in one of the storage tanks for storage and supplies the second gas stored in the storage container located in the other of the storage tanks to the fuel cell unit; and a temperature adjustment unit adjusts the temperature of the heat transfer fluid. The system comprises a control unit that controls the supply of the heat transfer fluid by the heat transfer fluid supply unit and the switching of the flow path of the second gas by the gas flow path switching unit, wherein the control unit causes the heat transfer fluid cooled by the cooling unit to be supplied to storage tank A, which houses the storage container into which the second gas flows, and causes the heat transfer fluid heated by the heating unit to be supplied to storage tank B, which houses the storage container into which the second gas is supplied, and sets the amount of the second gas stored in each storage tank to a predetermined second storage amount. When the second gas supply and the second gas inflow are not occurring, the amount of heat transfer fluid stored in the storage tank C containing the storage container is kept below a predetermined first amount, and when the predetermined container change conditions are met, the heat transfer fluid stored in storage tank A is allowed to flow into storage tank C, and the heat transfer fluid stored in storage tank B is allowed to flow into storage tank A, after which storage tank C is treated as the new storage tank A, and the heat transfer fluid cooled by the cooling unit is supplied to the new storage tank A.The system then initiates the inflow of the second gas into the storage container housed in the new storage tank A, and, treating storage tank A as the new storage tank B, begins supplying the heat transfer fluid heated by the heating unit to the new storage tank B, and also initiates the supply of the second gas from the storage container housed in the new storage tank B. Simultaneously, treating storage tank B as the new storage tank C, the system maintains a state in which the amount of heat transfer fluid stored in the new storage tank C falls below the predetermined first storage amount, and no supply of the second gas to the storage container housed in the new storage tank C, nor any inflow of the second gas.

[0013] The fuel supply device according to claim 3 is a fuel supply device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit determines that the predetermined container change condition has been met when the amount of the second gas stored in the storage container that supplies the second gas decreases to a predetermined lower limit storage amount.

[0014] The fuel supply device according to claim 4 is a fuel supply device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit determines that the predetermined container change condition has been met when the amount of the second gas stored in the storage container into which the second gas is flowing has increased to a predetermined upper limit storage amount.

[0015] The power generation system according to claim 5 comprises the fuel supply device according to claim 1 or 2, the fuel cell unit, and the gas generation device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] In the fuel supply device according to claim 1, a control unit that controls the temperature adjustment of the heat transfer fluid by the temperature adjustment unit, the supply of the heat transfer fluid by the heat transfer fluid supply unit, and the switching of the flow path of the second gas by the gas flow path switching unit causes the heat transfer fluid heated by the heating unit to be supplied to the first storage tank containing the storage container that supplies the second gas among the storage tanks, and causes the heat transfer fluid cooled by the cooling unit to be supplied to the second storage tank containing the storage container into which the second gas flows, and maintains a state in which the amount of heat transfer fluid stored in the third storage tank containing the storage container into which the second gas is not supplied and into which the second gas is not flowing, when the amount of second gas stored in each storage tank exceeds a predetermined first storage amount, and when predetermined container change conditions are met, the first storage After the heat transfer fluid stored in the liquid tank is allowed to flow into the third liquid tank, and the heat transfer fluid stored in the second liquid tank is allowed to flow into the first liquid tank, the third liquid tank is treated as a new first liquid tank, and the supply of the heat transfer fluid heated by the heating unit to the new first liquid tank, and the supply of the second gas from the storage container housed in the new first liquid tank are started. The first liquid tank is treated as a new second liquid tank, and the supply of the heat transfer fluid cooled by the cooling unit to the new second liquid tank, and the inflow of the second gas into the storage container housed in the new second liquid tank are started. At the same time, the second liquid tank is treated as a new third liquid tank, and the amount of heat transfer fluid stored in the new third liquid tank falls below a predetermined first amount, and the supply of the second gas to the storage container housed in the new third liquid tank and the inflow of the second gas are maintained. Furthermore, the power generation system according to claim 5 is configured to include the above-mentioned fuel supply device, fuel cell unit, and gas generator.

[0017] Therefore, according to the fuel supply device described in claim 1 and the power generation system described in claim 5, when the container change condition is met, the high-temperature heat transfer fluid stored in the first storage tank (i.e., the storage tank containing the storage container that was supplying the second gas to the fuel cell unit until immediately before) is allowed to flow into the third storage tank (i.e., the storage tank containing the storage container that will begin supplying the second gas to the fuel cell unit). This allows the storage container contained in the third storage tank to be heated and a sufficient amount of the second gas required for power generation in the fuel cell unit to be released, without wasting the energy required to heat the heat transfer fluid supplied to the first storage tank. Furthermore, when the container change condition is met, the low-temperature heat transfer fluid stored in the second storage tank (i.e., the storage tank containing the storage container that had been receiving and storing the second gas until immediately before) is allowed to flow into the first storage tank (i.e., the storage tank containing the storage container that will begin storing the second gas generated by the gas generator). This allows the energy required to cool the heat transfer fluid supplied to the second storage tank to be used to cool the storage container in the first storage tank (the storage tank containing the storage container that had been receiving the second gas from the fuel cell unit until immediately before, and whose temperature has risen due to heat exchange with the high-temperature heat transfer fluid), thereby enabling the second gas generated by the gas generator to be stored appropriately.Furthermore, when the third storage tank is supplied with a high-temperature heat transfer fluid heated by the heating unit, the second gas can be suitably released from the storage container housed in the new first storage tank and supplied to the fuel cell unit, when the first storage tank is supplied with a low-temperature heat transfer fluid cooled by the cooling unit, the second gas generated by the gas generator can be suitably stored in the storage container housed in the new second storage tank, and the second storage tank is supplied with a new third storage tank As a result, the amount of heat transfer fluid stored falls below the amount of the first stored fluid, and a state is maintained in which no supply of the second gas or inflow of the second gas occurs from the storage container housed in the new third storage tank. Later, when the container change conditions are met, the heat transfer fluid can be reliably and easily moved from the new first storage tank to the new third storage tank, which no longer contains the heat transfer fluid, and the heat transfer fluid can be reliably and easily moved from the new second storage tank to the new first storage tank, which no longer contains the heat transfer fluid after the move to the new third storage tank.

[0018] In the fuel supply device according to claim 2, the control unit controls the temperature adjustment of the heat transfer fluid by the temperature adjustment unit, the supply of the heat transfer fluid by the heat transfer fluid supply unit, and the switching of the flow path of the second gas by the gas flow path switching unit, and causes the cooling unit to supply the heat transfer fluid cooled by the cooling unit to storage tank A, which contains the storage container into which the second gas is flowing, and causes the heating unit to supply the heat transfer fluid heated by the heating unit to storage tank B, which contains the storage container into which the second gas is supplying, and maintains a state in which the amount of heat transfer fluid stored in storage tank C, which contains the storage container into which the second gas is not being supplied and into which the second gas is not flowing, is below a predetermined first amount of stored fluid when the amount of second gas stored in each storage tank falls below a predetermined second amount of stored fluid, and when predetermined container change conditions are met When this occurs, the heat transfer fluid stored in storage tank A is allowed to flow into storage tank C, and the heat transfer fluid stored in storage tank B is allowed to flow into storage tank A. Then, with storage tank C treated as a new storage tank A, the supply of heat transfer fluid cooled by the cooling unit to the new storage tank A and the inflow of the second gas into the storage container housed in the new storage tank A are initiated. With storage tank A treated as a new storage tank B, the supply of heat transfer fluid heated by the heating unit to the new storage tank B and the supply of the second gas from the storage container housed in the new storage tank B are initiated. At the same time, with storage tank B treated as a new storage tank C, the amount of heat transfer fluid stored in the new storage tank C falls below a predetermined first amount of stored fluid, and a state is maintained in which the supply of the second gas to the storage container housed in the new storage tank C and the inflow of the second gas are not performed. Furthermore, the power generation system according to claim 5 is configured to include the above-mentioned fuel supply device, fuel cell unit, and gas generation device.

[0019] Therefore, according to the fuel supply device described in claim 2 and the power generation system described in claim 5, when the container change condition is met, the low-temperature heat transfer fluid stored in storage tank A (i.e., the storage tank containing the storage container into which the second gas was being stored until immediately before) is allowed to flow into storage tank C (i.e., the storage tank containing the storage container into which the storage of the second gas generated by the gas generator begins), thereby cooling the storage container in storage tank C and allowing the second gas generated by the gas generator to be stored appropriately without wasting the energy required to cool the heat transfer fluid supplied to storage tank A. Furthermore, when the container change condition is met, the high-temperature heat transfer fluid stored in storage tank B (i.e., the storage tank containing the storage container that was supplying the second gas to the fuel cell unit until just before) is allowed to flow into storage tank A (i.e., the storage tank containing the storage container that will begin supplying the second gas to the fuel cell unit). This allows the energy used to heat the heat transfer fluid supplied to storage tank B to be used to heat the storage container in storage tank A (the storage tank containing the storage container that has been stored with the second gas flowing in until just before, resulting in a decrease in temperature due to heat exchange with the low-temperature heat transfer fluid), thereby releasing a sufficient amount of the second gas required for power generation in the fuel cell unit.Furthermore, when storage tank C becomes a new storage tank A, a low-temperature heat transfer fluid cooled by the cooling unit is supplied, allowing the second gas generated by the gas generator to be suitably stored in the storage container housed in the new storage tank A. When storage tank A becomes a new storage tank B, a high-temperature heat transfer fluid heated by the heating unit is supplied, allowing the second gas to be suitably released from the storage container housed in the new storage tank B and supplied to the fuel cell unit. When storage tank B becomes a new storage tank C, the amount of heat transfer fluid stored is kept below the first amount of stored fluid, and a state is maintained in which no second gas is supplied or flows in from the storage container housed in the new storage tank C. This ensures that when the container change conditions are later met, the heat transfer fluid can be reliably and easily moved from the new storage tank A to the new storage tank C, which no longer contains heat transfer fluid. This also ensures that the heat transfer fluid can be reliably and easily moved from the new storage tank B to the new storage tank A, which is now empty of heat transfer fluid due to the move to the new storage tank C.

[0020] In the fuel supply device according to claim 3, the control unit determines that a predetermined container change condition has been met when the amount of the second gas stored in the storage container supplying the second gas has decreased to a predetermined lower limit storage amount. Therefore, according to the fuel supply device according to claim 3, and the power generation system equipped with such a fuel supply device, the second gas can be continuously supplied to the fuel cell unit from a storage container housed in a new first liquid storage tank, in place of a storage container whose amount of the second gas has decreased to a predetermined lower limit storage amount. This ensures that power generation by the fuel cell unit can be reliably continued.

[0021] In the fuel supply device according to claim 4, the control unit determines that the container change condition specified in advance is satisfied when the storage amount of the second gas in the storage container into which the second gas is flowing increases to the upper limit storage amount specified in advance. Therefore, according to the fuel supply device described in claim 4 and the power generation system provided with such a fuel supply device, instead of the storage container in which the storage amount of the second gas has increased to the upper limit storage amount specified in advance, by starting the storage of the second gas in the storage container accommodated in the new second liquid storage tank, the generation of the second gas by the gas generation device can be stopped without stopping, and the storage for any storage container (the storage container accommodated in the new second liquid storage tank) can be continued. Further, by changing the storage container that supplies the second gas to the fuel cell unit when such a condition is satisfied, the storage amount of the second gas in the storage container that supplied the second gas before the change is more than the lower limit storage amount, and the supply of the second gas from the storage container ends. Therefore, when the storage of the second gas in the storage container is started later, it can be stored up to the upper limit storage amount in a short time. For this reason, even if the consumption amount of the second gas per unit time in the fuel cell unit increases, the second gas necessary for power generation can be reliably supplied from the storage container in which a sufficient amount of the second gas is stored.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0022] [Figure 1] It is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of the power generation system 100. [Figure 2] It is an explanatory diagram about the operation of the hydrogen gas supply device 1 (heating and cooling of the canister C in each temperature control liquid tank 10). [Figure 3] It is another explanatory diagram about the operation of the hydrogen gas supply device 1. [Figure 4] It is still another explanatory diagram about the operation of the hydrogen gas supply device 1. [Figure 5] It is still another explanatory diagram about the operation of the hydrogen gas supply device 1. [Figure 6] It is still another explanatory diagram about the operation of the hydrogen gas supply device 1. [Figure 7] This is another explanatory diagram regarding the operation of the hydrogen gas supply device 1. [Figure 8] This is another explanatory diagram regarding the operation of the hydrogen gas supply device 1. [Figure 9] This is another explanatory diagram regarding the operation of the hydrogen gas supply device 1. [Figure 10] This is another explanatory diagram regarding the operation of the hydrogen gas supply device 1. [Figure 11] This is another explanatory diagram regarding the operation of the hydrogen gas supply device 1. [Figure 12] This is another explanatory diagram regarding the operation of the hydrogen gas supply device 1. [Figure 13] This is another explanatory diagram regarding the operation of the hydrogen gas supply device 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0023] The embodiments of the fuel supply device and power generation system will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0024] The power generation system 100 shown in Figure 1 is an example of a "power generation system" and is configured to generate electricity by reacting air, which is an example of a "first gas containing an oxidizer," with hydrogen gas G, which is an example of a "second gas containing hydrogen," in the fuel cell unit 2.

[0025] The hydrogen gas supply device 1 is an example of a "fuel supply device" and is configured to supply hydrogen gas G stored in canister C to fuel cell unit 2, and to store hydrogen gas G generated by hydrogen gas generator 3 in canister C. Specifically, the hydrogen gas supply device 1 includes temperature-controlled liquid tanks 10a to 10c, a heat pump 11, pumps 12h and 12c, on-off valves 13a to 13c, 14a to 14c, 15a to 15c, 16a to 16c, 17a to 17c, 18a to 18c, and a control unit 19.

[0026] The temperature-controlled liquid tanks 10a to 10c (hereinafter also referred to as "temperature-controlled liquid tank 10" when not distinguished) are an example of "at least three liquid storage tanks" and are configured to accommodate canisters C, C·· and to store water W (an example of "heat transfer fluid") which adjusts the temperature of the canisters C by heat exchange with the canisters C. In this case, the canisters C are an example of "multiple storage containers capable of storing a second gas" and, similar to the fuel tank disclosed in the aforementioned patent document, contain a hydrogen storage alloy inside a pressure vessel, and are configured to allow the absorption of hydrogen gas G into the hydrogen storage alloy when it is introduced into the pressure vessel, and to release the hydrogen gas G absorbed by the hydrogen storage alloy outside the pressure vessel.

[0027] The heat pump 11 is an example of a "temperature control unit" and is configured to control the temperature of water W by comprising a compressor 21, a condenser 22, a heat exchanger 23, a fan 23a, an expansion valve 24, and an evaporator 25. In this example, the hydrogen gas supply device 1 corresponds to a "heating unit that heats the heat transfer fluid" and heats water W by heat exchange with the refrigerant, while the evaporator 25 corresponds to a "cooling unit that cools the heat transfer fluid" and cools water W by heat exchange with the refrigerant. In the following description, water W heated by the condenser 22 is also referred to as "water Wh," and water W cooled by the evaporator 25 is also referred to as "water Wc."

[0028] Pumps 12h and 12c are, for example, composed of suction-type liquid transfer pumps and, together with on-off valves 13a-13c, 14a-14c, 15a-15c, and 16a-16c, constitute the "heat transfer fluid supply section". In this case, the hydrogen gas supply device 1 of this example employs a configuration in which pump 12h draws water Wh, which has been heated in the condenser 22 and heated in canister C in one of the temperature-controlled liquid tanks 10, and pumps 12c draws water Wc, which has been cooled in the evaporator 25 and heated in canister C in one of the other temperature-controlled liquid tanks 10, and pumps it to evaporator 25.

[0029] The on / off valves 13a-13c and 14a-14c, in accordance with the control unit 19, allow the supply of water Wh to any of the temperature-controlled liquid tanks 10, and the discharge of water Wh supplied to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 from the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 (by suction by pump 12h). The on / off valves 15a-15c and 16a-16c, in accordance with the control unit 19, allow the supply of water Wc to any of the other temperature-controlled liquid tanks 10, and the discharge of water Wc supplied to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 from the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 (by suction by pump 12c). The on-off valves 17a-17c and 18a-18c are examples of "gas flow path switching sections," where on-off valves 17a-17c allow the inflow of hydrogen gas G into a canister C housed in one of the temperature-controlled liquid tanks 10, and on-off valves 18a-18c allow the release of hydrogen gas G from another canister C housed in one of the temperature-controlled liquid tanks 10 (supply to the fuel cell unit 2).

[0030] The control unit 19 is an example of a "control unit" and comprehensively controls the hydrogen gas supply device 1. Specifically, the control unit 19 controls the heat pump 11 to adjust the temperature of the water W (control of "temperature adjustment of the heat transfer fluid by the temperature adjustment unit"). The control unit 19 also controls the pumps 12h, 12c and the on / off valves 13a~13c, 14a~14c, 15a~15c, 16a~16c to supply water Wh to one of the temperature-controlled liquid tanks 10 and water Wc to one of the other temperature-controlled liquid tanks 10 (control of "supply of heat transfer fluid by the heat transfer fluid supply unit"). Furthermore, the control unit 19 controls the on / off valves 17a-17c and 18a-18c to allow hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 to flow into and store in the canister C located in one of the temperature-controlled liquid tanks 10, and to supply hydrogen gas G stored in the canister C located in any other temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 to the fuel cell unit 2 (control of "second gas flow path switching by gas flow path switching unit"). The control of each part by the control unit 19 will be explained in detail later.

[0031] On the other hand, fuel cell unit 2 is an example of a "fuel cell unit" and is configured to include a fuel cell body in which multiple power generation cells and multiple cooling cells are stacked, as well as a pump (not shown) for supplying air (first gas) to the power generation cells. This fuel cell unit 2 is configured to generate electricity by reacting air (oxygen) and hydrogen gas G (hydrogen) in the fuel cell body. Since the power generation principle of fuel cell unit 2 is well known, a detailed explanation of the configuration of this fuel cell unit 2 will be omitted. Furthermore, hydrogen gas generator 3 is an example of a "gas generator" and is configured to generate hydrogen by electrolyzing water and to supply the generated hydrogen (hydrogen gas G) to hydrogen gas supply device 1. Since the principle of hydrogen generation by electrolysis is well known, a detailed explanation of the configuration of this hydrogen gas generator 3 will be omitted.

[0032] Next, the power generation by the power generation system 100 will be explained with reference to the attached diagrams.

[0033] When starting power generation by the power generation system 100, it is assumed that a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G (an amount that can be supplied to the fuel cell unit 2) is stored in the canister C located in at least one of the temperature-controlled liquid tanks 10a to 10c. Here, as an example, it is assumed that during the previous operation, which was performed in the same manner as the operation example described below, a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G was stored in the canisters C located in temperature-controlled liquid tanks 10a and 10c, and the remaining amount of hydrogen gas G in the canister C located in temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b had decreased (decreased to an amount that would be difficult to supply to the fuel cell unit 2).

[0034] In this state, when starting power generation in the fuel cell unit 2, the control unit 19 first keeps the on-off valves 18b and 18c closed while opening the on-off valve 18a. At this time, the hydrogen gas G stored in the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a is released from the canister C, passes through the on-off valve 18a, and is supplied to the power generation cell of the fuel cell unit 2. In the fuel cell unit 2, the hydrogen gas G supplied from the hydrogen gas supply device 1 (canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a) and the air pumped by the pump are reacted in the power generation cell. As a result, the electricity generated by the fuel cell unit 2 is supplied to loads (not shown) such as electrical appliances and storage batteries.

[0035] Furthermore, in the power generation system 100 of this example, in parallel with the supply of hydrogen gas G from the hydrogen gas supply device 1 to the fuel cell unit 2 and the power generation in the fuel cell unit 2, a configuration is adopted in which hydrogen gas G is supplied from the hydrogen gas generator 3 to the hydrogen gas supply device 1 and hydrogen gas G is stored in the canister C in the hydrogen gas supply device 1 when the remaining amount is decreasing. Specifically, in this example, when the remaining amount in the canister C contained in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b is decreasing, the control unit 19 keeps the on-off valves 17a and 17c in the closed state and moves the on-off valve 17b to the open state. At this time, the hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 passes through the on-off valve 17b and flows into the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b and is absorbed by the hydrogen storage alloy in the canister C. As a result, hydrogen gas G is stored in the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b.

[0036] In this case, the control unit 19, in order to avoid a decrease in the amount of hydrogen gas G released per unit time from the canister C contained in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a (amount supplied to the fuel cell unit 2), supplies water Wh heated by the heat pump 11 (condenser 22) to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a (an example of control as "supplying a heat transfer fluid heated by the heating unit to the first liquid tank containing the storage container that supplies the second gas among the liquid storage tanks"), thereby heating the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a by heat exchange with water Wh. Furthermore, in order to prevent a decrease in the amount of hydrogen gas G stored per unit time in the canister C contained in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b (the amount of hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 stored per unit time), the control unit 19 supplies water Wc cooled by the heat pump 11 (evaporator 25) to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b (an example of control as "supplying a heat transfer fluid cooled by the cooling unit to the second liquid tank containing the storage container into which the second gas of each storage tank is flowing"), thereby cooling the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b by heat exchange with water Wc.

[0037] Specifically, as described above, the control unit 19 operates pumps 12h and 12c while the heat pump 11 is performing heating and cooling of water W, and as shown in Figure 2, it moves the on-off valves 13a and 14a to the open state and keeps the on-off valves 13b, 13c, 14b, and 14c in the closed state, and moves the on-off valves 15b and 16b to the open state and keeps the on-off valves 15a, 15c, 16a, and 16c in the closed state. In Figure 2, and in Figures 3 to 13 which will be referenced later, the on-off valves 13 to 16 controlled to the open state are shown as filled in white, and the on-off valves 13 to 16 controlled to the closed state are shown as filled in black, and the piping through which water Wh and Wc pass is shown as solid lines, and the piping through which water Wh and Wc do not pass is shown as dashed lines.

[0038] As a result, the water Wh heated in the condenser 22 passes through the on-off valve 13a and is supplied to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a. In the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a, the canister C is heated by heat exchange with the water Wh, and the water Wh whose temperature has decreased due to heat exchange with the canister C passes through the on-off valve 14a and is drawn into the pump 12h, where it is heated again in the condenser 22. In addition, the water Wc cooled in the evaporator 25 passes through the on-off valve 15b and is supplied to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b. In the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b, the canister C is cooled by heat exchange with the water Wc, and the water Wc whose temperature has increased due to heat exchange with the canister C passes through the on-off valve 16b and is drawn into the pump 12c, where it is cooled again in the evaporator 25.

[0039] Furthermore, water W is not allowed to flow into the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c, and a state in which no water W is stored is maintained (an example of control that "maintains a state in which the amount of heat transfer fluid stored in the third liquid tank, which contains a storage container in which the supply of the second gas and the inflow of the second gas are not performed, is below the predetermined first amount of stored liquid when the second gas is stored in each liquid tank in a state in which the second gas is exceeding a predetermined first amount of stored liquid").

[0040] By maintaining this state, a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G is released from the canister C contained in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a, and the amount of hydrogen gas G necessary for power generation is continuously supplied to the fuel cell unit 2. In addition, a state is maintained in which the hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 is suitably absorbed into the hydrogen storage alloy in the canister C contained in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b, and a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G is stored in this canister C in a short time.

[0041] On the other hand, by continuing to generate electricity using the fuel cell unit 2, the amount of hydrogen gas G remaining in the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a decreases due to the supply of hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2, and even if the canister C is heated by heat exchange with water Wh, it becomes difficult to release a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G necessary for power generation. Furthermore, by continuing to store the hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3, the amount of hydrogen gas G stored in the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b reaches a sufficient amount, and even if the canister C is cooled by heat exchange with water Wc, it becomes difficult to absorb hydrogen gas G into the hydrogen storage alloy.

[0042] In this case, the timing at which the amount of hydrogen gas G stored in canister C in temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a decreases to an amount that makes suitable release difficult (for example, 15% of the storage capacity for canister C: an example of a "pre-defined lower limit storage amount") or the timing at which the amount of hydrogen gas G stored in canister C in temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b increases to a predetermined storage amount (for example, 100% of the storage capacity for canister C: an example of a "pre-defined upper limit storage amount") occurs first depends on the amount of power generated by the fuel cell unit 2 (amount of hydrogen gas G consumed per unit time) and the amount of hydrogen gas G generated per unit time by the hydrogen gas generator 3, and therefore differs depending on the operating environment and mode of operation of the power generation system 100.

[0043] Here, if the amount of hydrogen gas G stored in canister C supplying hydrogen gas G to fuel cell unit 2 decreases to the lower limit and operation continues in that state, the supply of hydrogen gas G to fuel cell unit 2 will stop and power generation in fuel cell unit 2 will stop. Also, if the amount of hydrogen gas G stored in canister C storing hydrogen gas G generated in hydrogen gas generator 3 increases to the upper limit and operation continues in that state, it is not possible to store any more hydrogen gas G in that canister C. Therefore, it is preferable to start storing hydrogen gas G in another canister C capable of storing hydrogen gas G (a canister C with a hydrogen gas G storage amount less than the upper limit) instead of the canister C that has reached the upper limit.

[0044] Therefore, in the hydrogen gas supply device 1 (power generation system 100) of this example, when either the condition that the amount of hydrogen gas G stored in canister C supplying hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2 has decreased to the lower limit storage amount, or the condition that the amount of hydrogen gas G stored in canister C storing hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 has increased to the upper limit storage amount is met (an example of the state that "container change condition has been met"), the control unit 19 executes control to change both the canister C that releases hydrogen gas G supplied to the fuel cell unit 2 and the canister C into which hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 flows.

[0045] Specifically, the control unit 19 maintains the closed state of the on-off valve 18b, transitions the on-off valve 18a to the closed state, and transitions the on-off valve 18c to the open state. At this time, hydrogen gas G is released from the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c instead of the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a, passes through the on-off valve 18c, and is supplied to the power generation cell of the fuel cell unit 2. As a result, power generation in the fuel cell unit 2 continues. In addition, the control unit 19 maintains the closed state of the on-off valve 17c, transitions the on-off valve 17b to the closed state, and transitions the on-off valve 17a to the open state. At this time, hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 passes through the on-off valve 17a and flows into the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a instead of the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b, and is stored in this canister C. As a result, the storage of hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 in the canister C continues.

[0046] Furthermore, the control unit 19 also changes the flow path of water W in conjunction with the change in the flow path of hydrogen gas G as described above. Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, the control unit 19 first keeps valve 14a open and valves 14b and 14c closed, and while keeping valve 13b closed, moves valve 13a to the closed state and valve 13c to the open state. At this time, water Wh stored in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a flows into the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c by passing through valve 14a, pump 12h, condenser 22 and valve 13c in this order (an example of control that "causes the heat transfer fluid stored in the first liquid tank to flow into the third liquid tank"). As a result, the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c is heated by heat exchange with the water Wh moved from the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c, which prevents a decrease in the amount of hydrogen gas G released per unit time.

[0047] Next, as shown in Figure 4, the control unit 19 maintains the closed state of the on-off valves 13a and 13b, and the open state of the on-off valve 13c, while maintaining the closed state of the on-off valve 14b, and simultaneously moves the on-off valve 14a to the closed state and the on-off valve 14c to the open state. At this time, the water Wh heated in the condenser 22 passes through the on-off valve 13c and is supplied to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c, where the canister C is heated by heat exchange with the water Wh in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c, and the water Wh whose temperature has decreased by heat exchange with the canister C passes through the on-off valve 14c and is drawn into the pump 12h and heated again in the condenser 22. This maintains the release rate per unit time from the canister C contained in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c, ensuring a continuous supply of sufficient hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2 for power generation (an example of the operation described as "starting the supply of the heat transfer fluid heated by the heating unit to the new first liquid tank, and initiating the supply of the second gas from the storage container contained in the new first liquid tank").

[0048] Next, as shown in Figure 5, the control unit 19 keeps valve 16b open and valves 16a and 16c closed, and while keeping valve 15c closed, it moves valve 15b to the closed state and valve 15a to the open state. At this time, the water Wc stored in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b flows into the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a by passing through valve 16b, pump 12c, evaporator 25 and valve 15a in that order (an example of control that "causes the heat transfer fluid stored in the second liquid tank to flow into the first liquid tank"). As a result, the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a is cooled by heat exchange with the water Wc moved from the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a, and a decrease in the amount of hydrogen gas G stored per unit time (amount absorbed into the hydrogen storage alloy) can be avoided.

[0049] Next, as shown in Figure 6, the control unit 19 maintains the closed state of the on-off valves 15b and 15c, and the open state of the on-off valve 15a, while maintaining the closed state of the on-off valve 16c, and simultaneously moves the on-off valve 16a to the open state and the on-off valve 16b to the closed state. At this time, the water Wc cooled in the evaporator 25 passes through the on-off valve 15a and is supplied to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a. In the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a, the canister C is cooled by heat exchange with the water Wc, and the water Wc whose temperature has risen due to heat exchange with the canister C passes through the on-off valve 16a and is drawn into the pump 12c and cooled again in the evaporator 25. This maintains the amount of hydrogen gas G stored per unit time in the canister C contained in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a (the amount absorbed into the hydrogen storage alloy), and the hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 is continuously stored in the canister C (an example of the operation of "starting the supply of the heat transfer fluid cooled by the cooling unit to the new second liquid tank, and initiating the inflow of the second gas into the storage container contained in the new second liquid tank").

[0050] Furthermore, in the switching state of the water Wh and Wc flow paths as shown in Figure 6, the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b, which contains canister C that was filled with hydrogen gas G from the hydrogen gas generator 3 before the flow path switching (exceeding the "first storage amount"), will no longer contain water Wc due to the movement of water Wc to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a, and no new water Wc or water Wh will flow in, and this state will be maintained (an example of the operation "to maintain a state in which the second storage tank is treated as a new third storage tank, the amount of heat transfer fluid stored in the new third storage tank falls below the predetermined first storage amount, and no supply of the second gas to the storage containers contained in the new third storage tank, nor any inflow of the second gas"). With the above, the switching of the water W flow path is completed.

[0051] In this case, when the canister C supplying hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2 decreases to its minimum storage capacity, and the "container change condition" is met, the hydrogen gas G flow path and the water W flow path are switched as described above. At this time, the storage of hydrogen gas G in the canister C storing the hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 will end before the canister C has increased to its maximum storage capacity. Therefore, when the supply of hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2 is later started from a canister C with such a storage amount, the remaining amount will decrease to the minimum storage capacity in a short time. However, when it is necessary to continue power generation by the fuel cell unit 2, the hydrogen gas supply device 1 can continuously supply the hydrogen gas G necessary for power generation to the fuel cell unit 2 by supplying hydrogen gas G from another canister C instead of the canister C that has decreased to its minimum storage capacity. Furthermore, it is possible to immediately start storing hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 in the canister C that has decreased to its minimum storage capacity due to the supply of hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2.

[0052] Furthermore, when the canister C storing the hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 increases to its upper storage limit, and the "container change condition" is met, and the hydrogen gas G flow path and the water W flow path are switched as described above, the supply of hydrogen gas G from the canister C to the fuel cell unit 2 will be terminated before the amount of hydrogen gas G supplied to the fuel cell unit 2 has decreased to its lower storage limit. Therefore, when storage of hydrogen gas G in a canister C of that amount is started later, the amount of hydrogen gas G stored in the canister C will increase to the upper storage limit in a short time. As a result, even if the fuel cell unit 2 consumes a large amount of hydrogen gas G and it becomes necessary to switch the hydrogen gas G flow path and the water W flow path at short intervals, it will be possible to supply hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2 from the canister C that has increased to its upper storage limit, thus effectively avoiding a situation where the cycle of switching the hydrogen gas G flow path and the water W flow path becomes excessively short.

[0053] On the other hand, by continuing to generate electricity with the fuel cell unit 2 and continue storing the hydrogen gas G produced by the hydrogen gas generator 3, when the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c decreases to the lower limit storage amount, or when the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a increases to the upper limit storage amount (another example of the state where "container change conditions are met"), the control unit 19 again switches the flow path of hydrogen gas G and the flow path of water W.

[0054] Specifically, the control unit 19 maintains the closed state of the on-off valve 18a, moves the on-off valve 18c to the closed state, and moves the on-off valve 18b to the open state. At this time, hydrogen gas G is released from the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b instead of the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c, passes through the on-off valve 18b, and is supplied to the power generation cell of the fuel cell unit 2. As a result, power generation in the fuel cell unit 2 continues. In addition, the control unit 19 maintains the closed state of the on-off valve 17b, moves the on-off valve 17a to the closed state, and moves the on-off valve 17c to the open state. At this time, hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 passes through the on-off valve 17c and flows into the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c instead of the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a, and is stored in this canister C. As a result, the storage of hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 in the canister C continues.

[0055] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7, the control unit 19 maintains the open state of the on-off valve 14c and the closed state of the on-off valves 14a and 14b, while maintaining the closed state of the on-off valve 13a, it moves the on-off valve 13c to the closed state and the on-off valve 13b to the open state. At this time, the water Wh stored in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c flows into the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b by passing through the on-off valve 14c, pump 12h, condenser 22 and on-off valve 13b in this order (another example of the control described as "causing the heat transfer fluid stored in the first liquid tank to flow into the third liquid tank"). This prevents the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b from being heated by heat exchange with the water Wh moved from the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b, thus avoiding a decrease in the amount of hydrogen gas G released per unit time.

[0056] Next, as shown in Figure 8, the control unit 19 maintains the closed state of the on-off valves 13a and 13c, and the open state of the on-off valve 13b, while maintaining the closed state of the on-off valve 14a, it moves the on-off valve 14c to the closed state and moves the on-off valve 14b to the open state. At this time, the water Wh heated in the condenser 22 passes through the on-off valve 13b and is supplied to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b, where the canister C is heated by heat exchange with the water Wh in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b, and the water Wh whose temperature has decreased by heat exchange with the canister C passes through the on-off valve 14b and is drawn into the pump 12h and heated again in the condenser 22. This maintains the release rate per unit time from the canister C contained in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b, ensuring a continuous supply of sufficient hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2 for power generation (another example of the operation described as "starting the supply of the heat transfer fluid heated by the heating unit to the new first liquid tank, and initiating the supply of the second gas from the storage container contained in the new first liquid tank").

[0057] Next, as shown in Figure 9, the control unit 19 maintains the open state of the on-off valve 16a and the closed states of the on-off valves 16b and 16c, while maintaining the closed state of the on-off valve 15b, it moves the on-off valve 15a to the closed state and the on-off valve 15c to the open state. At this time, the water Wc stored in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a flows into the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c by passing through the on-off valve 16a, pump 12c, evaporator 25 and on-off valve 15c in this order (another example of the control described as "causing the heat transfer fluid stored in the second liquid tank to flow into the first liquid tank"). As a result, the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c is cooled by heat exchange with the water Wc moved from the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c, thus preventing a decrease in the amount of hydrogen gas G stored per unit time (amount absorbed by the hydrogen storage alloy).

[0058] Next, as shown in Figure 10, the control unit 19 maintains the closed state of the on-off valves 15a and 15b, and the open state of the on-off valve 15c, while maintaining the closed state of the on-off valve 16b, and simultaneously moves the on-off valve 16c to the open state and the on-off valve 16a to the closed state. At this time, the water Wc cooled in the evaporator 25 passes through the on-off valve 15c and is supplied to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c. In the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c, the canister C is cooled by heat exchange with the water Wc, and the water Wc whose temperature has risen due to heat exchange with the canister C passes through the on-off valve 16c and is drawn into the pump 12c and cooled again in the evaporator 25. This maintains the amount of hydrogen gas G stored per unit time in the canister C contained in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c (the amount absorbed into the hydrogen storage alloy), and the hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 is continuously stored in the canister C (another example of the operation of "starting the supply of the heat transfer fluid cooled by the cooling unit to the new second liquid tank, and initiating the inflow of the second gas into the storage container contained in the new second liquid tank").

[0059] Furthermore, in the switching state of the water Wh and Wc flow paths as shown in Figure 10, before the flow path switching, the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a, which contains the canister C filled with hydrogen gas G from the hydrogen gas generator 3, will no longer contain water Wc due to the movement of water Wc to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c, and no new water Wc or water Wh will flow in, and this state will be maintained (another example of the operation "to maintain a state in which the second liquid storage tank is treated as a new third liquid storage tank, the amount of heat transfer fluid stored in the new third liquid storage tank falls below the predetermined first liquid storage amount, and no supply of the second gas to the storage containers contained in the new third liquid storage tank, nor any inflow of the second gas"). With the above, the switching of the water W flow path is completed.

[0060] Subsequently, when the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b decreases to the lower storage limit, or when the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c increases to the upper storage limit (another example of the state where "container change conditions are met"), the control unit 19 switches the flow path of hydrogen gas G and the flow path of water W again. This ensures that power generation using hydrogen gas G for the fuel cell unit 2 and storage of hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 continue.

[0061] In this case, although the configuration of the hydrogen gas supply device 1 differs from that of the present example, if, for example, one were to use two temperature-controlled liquid tanks, 10a and 10b, instead of a temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c, to simultaneously supply hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2 and store hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3, then heated water Wh would be supplied to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 containing the canister C in which the hydrogen gas G to be supplied is stored, thereby heating the canister C, and cooled water Wc would be supplied to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 containing the canister C into which the hydrogen gas G to be stored is introduced, thereby cooling the canister C. Furthermore, in such a configuration, when the amount of hydrogen gas G in canister C releasing hydrogen gas G decreases to the lower storage limit, or when the amount of hydrogen gas G in canister C receiving hydrogen gas G increases to the upper storage limit, it is necessary to switch the flow path to supply water Wc to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 that was supplying water Wh, and to supply water Wh to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 that was supplying water Wc, in order to allow hydrogen gas G to flow into the canister C whose amount has decreased to the lower storage limit and to release hydrogen gas G from the canister C whose amount has increased to the upper storage limit.

[0062] However, in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10, which supplied water Wc until the flow path was switched, low-temperature water Wc is stored, and the canister C is also at a low temperature due to heat exchange with the water Wc. Therefore, even when the supply of water Wh is started by switching, it takes some time for the temperature of the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 to rise sufficiently. For this reason, it becomes difficult to supply the entire amount of hydrogen gas G that should be supplied to the fuel cell unit 2 (required by the fuel cell unit 2) from the canister C (by releasing it from the hydrogen storage alloy). Consequently, with a configuration of only two temperature-controlled liquid tanks 10, it becomes difficult to continuously supply the required amount of hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2.

[0063] Similarly, in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10, which was supplied with water Wh until the flow path was switched, high-temperature water Wh is stored, and the canister C becomes hot due to heat exchange with the water Wh. Therefore, even when the supply of water Wc is started by switching, it takes some time for the temperature of the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 to drop sufficiently. For this reason, it becomes difficult to store the entire amount of hydrogen gas G sequentially generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 in the canister C (by adsorbing it into the hydrogen storage alloy). Consequently, with a configuration of only two temperature-controlled liquid tanks 10, it becomes difficult to continuously generate hydrogen gas G by the hydrogen gas generator 3 and store the generated hydrogen gas G in the canister C.

[0064] In contrast, in the hydrogen gas supply device 1 of this example, which is equipped with three temperature-controlled liquid tanks 10a to 10c, when changing the canister C that supplies hydrogen gas G and the canister C that stores hydrogen gas G, water Wh is introduced into the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 where the amount of water W stored is "first amount (in this example, a state where no water W is present)," and water Wc is introduced into the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 where water W is no longer stored, so that high-temperature water Wh and low-temperature water Wc do not mix. As a result, the temperature of the canister C to be heated can be raised in a short time, making it possible to continuously supply the required amount of hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2, and the temperature of the canister C to be cooled can be lowered in a short time, making it possible to continuously store the hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 into the canister C.

[0065] On the other hand, while we have described an example of operation in which power generation by the fuel cell unit 2 (supply of hydrogen gas G from the hydrogen gas supply device 1 to the fuel cell unit 2) and storage of hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 into the canister C are performed in parallel, the power generation system 100 (hydrogen gas supply device 1) in this example is configured to independently perform only the storage of hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 into the canister C when power generation by the fuel cell unit 2 is not being performed.

[0066] In this case, when the supply of hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2 is not required, heating of the water W by the condenser 22 and supply of the heated water Wh to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 (heating of the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10) become unnecessary. Therefore, when only the storage of hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 into the canister C is performed, instead of heating the water W in the condenser 22, the fan 23a is operated to dissipate heat from the heat exchanger 23 into the atmosphere, thereby allowing the refrigerant necessary to cool the water W in the evaporator 25 to be suitably circulated within the heat pump 11. As a result, even when hydrogen gas G is not being supplied from the hydrogen gas supply device 1 to the fuel cell unit 2, the hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 can be stored in the canister C in any of the temperature-controlled liquid tanks 10.

[0067] Thus, in this hydrogen gas supply device 1, the control unit 19 controls the temperature adjustment of water W by the heat pump 11, the supply of water W by pumps 12h, 12c and each on-off valve 13-16, and the switching of the flow path of hydrogen gas G by each on-off valve 17, 18, causing water Wh heated by the condenser 22 to be supplied to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 (first liquid tank) which contains the canister C that supplies hydrogen gas G from each temperature-controlled liquid tank 10, and the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 which contains the canister C into which hydrogen gas G flows When water Wc cooled by the evaporator 25 is supplied to tank 10 (second liquid storage tank), and when hydrogen gas G is stored in each temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 in a state exceeding a predetermined first storage amount, the amount of water W stored in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 (third liquid storage tank) containing canister C, which is not supplied with hydrogen gas G or into which hydrogen gas G is not flowing, is maintained to be below the predetermined first storage amount, and when the predetermined "container change conditions" are met, the liquid stored in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as the "first liquid storage tank" The water W is introduced into the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as the "third liquid tank," and the water W stored in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as the "second liquid tank" is introduced into the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as the "first liquid tank." After this, the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as the "third liquid tank" is converted into a "new first liquid tank," and the supply of water W heated by the condenser 22 to the "new first liquid tank," as well as the supply of hydrogen gas G from the canister C contained in the "new first liquid tank," is started. The temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as the "first liquid tank" is then converted into a "new second liquid tank." The system starts supplying water W cooled by the evaporator 25 to the "new second liquid storage tank" and inflowing hydrogen gas G into the canister C housed in the "new second liquid storage tank," while simultaneously maintaining a state in which the water W stored in the "new third liquid storage tank" falls below a predetermined "first liquid storage amount" and hydrogen gas G is not supplied to or inflowed into the canister C housed in the "new third liquid storage tank," with the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 serving as the "second liquid storage tank" designated as the "new third liquid storage tank." Furthermore, this power generation system 100 is configured to include the hydrogen gas supply device 1, the fuel cell unit 2, and the hydrogen gas generator 3.

[0068] Therefore, with this hydrogen gas supply device 1 and power generation system 100, when the "container change condition" is met, the high-temperature water Wh stored in the water W stored in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as the "first liquid storage tank" (i.e., the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 containing the canister C that was supplying hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2 until immediately before) is allowed to flow into the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as the "third liquid storage tank" (i.e., the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 containing the canister C that will start supplying hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2). This allows the energy required to heat the water Wh supplied to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as the "first liquid storage tank" to be heated, thereby releasing a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G required for power generation in the fuel cell unit 2, without wasting energy. Furthermore, when the "container change condition" is met, the low-temperature water Wc stored in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as the "second liquid storage tank" (i.e., the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 containing the canister C that had been storing hydrogen gas G until immediately before) is allowed to flow into the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as the "first liquid storage tank" (i.e., the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 containing the canister C that will begin storing hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3). This allows the energy required to cool the water Wc supplied to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as the "second liquid storage tank" to be used to cool the canister C contained in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as the "first liquid storage tank" (the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 containing the canister C, which has been heated up by heat exchange with high-temperature water Wh because it had been supplying hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2 until immediately before), thereby allowing the hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 to be stored appropriately.Furthermore, the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10, acting as a "third liquid storage tank," can be supplied with high-temperature water Wh heated by the condenser 22, thereby suitably releasing hydrogen gas G from the canister C contained in the "new first liquid storage tank" and supplying it to the fuel cell unit 2. The temperature-controlled liquid tank 10, acting as a "first liquid storage tank," can also be supplied with low-temperature water Wc cooled by the evaporator 25, thereby suitably storing hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 in the canister C contained in the "new second liquid storage tank." As a result, the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 acts as a "new third liquid tank," maintaining a state where the amount of water W stored falls below the "first liquid tank" and no hydrogen gas G is supplied from or flows into the canister C housed in the "new third liquid tank." This ensures that when the "container change conditions" are later met, water W can be reliably and easily moved from the "new first liquid tank" to the "new third liquid tank," which no longer contains water W. Additionally, water W can be reliably and easily moved from the "new second liquid tank" to the "new first liquid tank," which is now devoid of water W due to the move to the "new third liquid tank."

[0069] Furthermore, in this hydrogen gas supply device 1, the control unit 19 determines that the "container change condition" has been met when the amount of hydrogen gas G stored in the canister C supplying the hydrogen gas G has decreased to a predetermined lower limit. Therefore, with this hydrogen gas supply device 1 and power generation system 100, hydrogen gas G can be continuously supplied to the fuel cell unit 2 from a canister C housed in a "new first liquid storage tank" in place of the canister C whose hydrogen gas G storage amount has decreased to the lower limit. This ensures that power generation by the fuel cell unit 2 can be reliably continued.

[0070] Furthermore, in this hydrogen gas supply device 1, the control unit 19 determines that the "container change condition" has been met when the amount of hydrogen gas G stored in the canister C into which the hydrogen gas G is flowing has increased to a predetermined upper limit storage amount. Therefore, with this hydrogen gas supply device 1 and power generation system 100, by starting to store hydrogen gas G in a canister C located in a "new second storage tank" instead of a canister C in which the amount of hydrogen gas G stored has increased to the upper limit storage amount, it is possible to continue storing hydrogen gas G in any of the canister C (the canister C located in the new second storage tank) without stopping the generation of hydrogen gas G by the hydrogen gas generator 3. Also, by changing the canister C that is supplying hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2 when these conditions are met, the supply of hydrogen gas G from the canister C that was supplying hydrogen gas G before the change ends when the amount of hydrogen gas G stored in that canister C is greater than the lower limit storage amount. Therefore, when storage of hydrogen gas G in that canister C is started later, it can be stored up to the upper limit storage amount in a short time. Therefore, even if the hydrogen gas G consumption per unit time in the fuel cell unit 2 increases, the hydrogen gas G necessary for power generation can be reliably supplied from the canister C, which stores a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G.

[0071] The configuration of the "fuel supply device" and the "power generation system" is not limited to the above-described example of the configuration of the hydrogen gas supply device 1 and power generation system 100.

[0072] For example, when the "pre-defined container change conditions" are met, the control unit 19 flows high-temperature water Wh from the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as the "first liquid storage tank" to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as the "third liquid storage tank," and flows high-temperature water Wh into the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as the "third liquid storage tank" to make it the "new first liquid storage tank." At the same time, it flows low-temperature water Wc from the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as the "second liquid storage tank" to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as the "first liquid storage tank," and flows low-temperature water Wc into the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as the "first liquid storage tank" to make it the "new second liquid storage tank," and maintains the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as the "second liquid storage tank" below the "first liquid storage amount." However, instead of such control, a configuration that performs the following control can also be adopted.

[0073] Here, as an example, it is assumed that during the previous operation, which was performed in the same manner as the operation example described below, a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G was stored in each canister C contained in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a, and the remaining amount of hydrogen gas G in the canisters C contained in the temperature-controlled liquid tanks 10b and 10c had decreased (reduced to an amount that could be stored by introducing hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3).

[0074] In this state, when starting power generation in the fuel cell unit 2, the control unit 19 first maintains the closed state of the on-off valves 18b and 18c while switching the on-off valve 18a to the open state, thereby supplying hydrogen gas G from the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a to the power generation cell of the fuel cell unit 2. In parallel with supplying hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2, the control unit 19 maintains the closed state of the on-off valves 17a and 17c while switching the on-off valve 17b to the open state, thereby allowing the hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 to flow into the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b for storage.

[0075] At this time, in order to prevent a decrease in the amount of hydrogen gas G stored per unit time in the canister C contained in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b (the amount of hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 stored per unit time), the control unit 19 supplies water Wc cooled by the heat pump 11 (evaporator 25) to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b (an example of control as "supplying a heat transfer fluid cooled by the cooling unit to the liquid tank A containing the storage container into which the second gas of each storage tank is introduced"), thereby cooling the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b by heat exchange with the water Wc. Furthermore, in order to prevent a decrease in the amount of hydrogen gas G released per unit time from the canister C housed in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a (amount supplied to the fuel cell unit 2), the control unit 19 supplies water Wh heated by the heat pump 11 (condenser 22) to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a (an example of control as "supplying a heat transfer fluid heated by the heating unit to the liquid tank B which houses the storage container supplying the second gas among the liquid storage tanks"), thereby heating the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a through heat exchange with water Wh.

[0076] Specifically, as described above, the control unit 19 operates pumps 12h and 12c while the heat pump 11 is heating and cooling the water W, and as shown in Figure 2, it moves the on-off valves 13a and 14a to the open state and keeps the on-off valves 13b, 13c, 14b, and 14c in the closed state, and moves the on-off valves 15b and 16b to the open state and keeps the on-off valves 15a, 15c, 16a, and 16c in the closed state. As a result, the water Wc cooled in the evaporator 25 passes through the on-off valve 15b and is supplied to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b, where the canister C is cooled by heat exchange with the water Wc in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b, and the water Wc whose temperature has risen due to heat exchange with the canister C passes through the on-off valve 16b and is drawn into the pump 12c and cooled again in the evaporator 25. Furthermore, the water Wh heated in the condenser 22 passes through the on-off valve 13a and is supplied to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a. In the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a, the canister C is heated by heat exchange with the water Wh, and the water Wh whose temperature has decreased due to heat exchange with the canister C passes through the on-off valve 14a and is drawn into the pump 12h, where it is heated again in the condenser 22.

[0077] Furthermore, water W is not allowed to flow into the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c, and the state in which no water W is stored is maintained (an example of control where "when the amount of gas stored in the second of each liquid tank falls below a predetermined second storage amount, the amount of heat transfer fluid stored in liquid tank C, which contains a storage container in which the second gas is not supplied and into which the second gas is not allowed, is kept below a predetermined first storage amount").

[0078] By maintaining this state, the hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 is suitably absorbed into the hydrogen storage alloy in the canister C contained in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b, and a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G is stored in the canister C in a short time. In addition, a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G is released from the canister C contained in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a, and the amount of hydrogen gas G necessary for power generation is continuously supplied to the fuel cell unit 2.

[0079] On the other hand, by continuing to store the hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3, the amount of hydrogen gas G stored in the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b reaches a sufficient level, making it difficult to absorb hydrogen gas G into the hydrogen storage alloy even when the canister C is cooled by heat exchange with water Wc. Also, by continuing to generate electricity with the fuel cell unit 2, the amount of hydrogen gas G remaining in the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a decreases due to the supply of hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2, making it difficult to release a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G necessary for power generation even when the canister C is heated by heat exchange with water Wh. Therefore, when the aforementioned "container change conditions" are met, the control unit 19 executes control to change both the canister C that releases hydrogen gas G supplied to the fuel cell unit 2 and the canister C into which hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 flows.

[0080] Specifically, the control unit 19 maintains the closed state of the on-off valve 17a, transitions the on-off valve 17b to the closed state, and transitions the on-off valve 17c to the open state. At this time, hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 flows through the on-off valve 17c into the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c, replacing the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b, and is stored in this canister C. This ensures that the storage of hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 in the canister C continues. Furthermore, the control unit 19 maintains the closed state of the on-off valve 18c, transitions the on-off valve 18a to the closed state, and transitions the on-off valve 18b to the open state. At this time, hydrogen gas G is released from the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b, replacing the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a, and is supplied to the power generation cell of the fuel cell unit 2 through the on-off valve 18b. This ensures that power generation in the fuel cell unit 2 continues.

[0081] Furthermore, the control unit 19 also changes the flow path of water W in conjunction with the change in the flow path of hydrogen gas G as described above. Specifically, as shown in Figure 11, the control unit 19 first keeps valve 16b open and valves 16a and 16c closed, and while keeping valve 15a closed, moves valve 15b to the closed state and valve 15c to the open state. At this time, water Wc stored in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b flows into the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c by passing through valve 16b, pump 12c, evaporator 25 and valve 15c in this order (an example of control that "causes the heat transfer fluid stored in liquid tank A to flow into liquid tank C"). As a result, the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c is cooled by heat exchange with the water Wc that has been moved from the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c, thus preventing a decrease in the amount of hydrogen gas G stored per unit time (the amount absorbed into the hydrogen storage alloy).

[0082] Next, as shown in Figure 12, the control unit 19 maintains the closed state of the on-off valves 15a and 15b, and the open state of the on-off valve 15c, while maintaining the closed state of the on-off valve 16a, and simultaneously moves the on-off valve 16b to the closed state and the on-off valve 16c to the open state. At this time, the water Wc cooled in the evaporator 25 passes through the on-off valve 15c and is supplied to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c. In the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c, the canister C is cooled by heat exchange with the water Wc, and the water Wc whose temperature has risen due to heat exchange with the canister C passes through the on-off valve 16c and is drawn into the pump 12c and cooled again in the evaporator 25. This maintains the amount of hydrogen gas G stored per unit time in the canister C contained in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c, and the hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 is continuously stored (an example of the operation described as "starting the supply of the heat transfer fluid cooled by the cooling unit to the new liquid tank A, and initiating the inflow of the second gas into the storage container contained in the new liquid tank A").

[0083] Next, as shown in Figure 13, the control unit 19 maintains the open state of valve 14a and the closed states of valves 14b and 14c, while maintaining the closed state of valve 13c, it moves valve 13a to the closed state and valve 13b to the open state. At this time, the water Wh stored in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a flows into the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b by passing through valve 14a, pump 12h, condenser 22 and valve 13b in this order (an example of control that "causes the heat transfer fluid stored in liquid tank B to flow into liquid tank A"). As a result, the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b is heated by heat exchange with the water Wh moved from the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b, which prevents a decrease in the amount of hydrogen gas G released per unit time.

[0084] Next, as shown in Figure 10, the control unit 19 maintains the closed state of the on-off valves 13a and 13c, and the open state of the on-off valve 13b, while maintaining the closed state of the on-off valve 14c, and simultaneously moves the on-off valve 14b to the open state and the on-off valve 14a to the closed state. At this time, the water Wh heated in the condenser 22 passes through the on-off valve 13b and is supplied to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b. In the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b, the canister C is heated by heat exchange with the water Wh, and the water Wh whose temperature has decreased by heat exchange with the canister C passes through the on-off valve 14b and is drawn into the pump 12h and heated again in the condenser 22. This maintains the release rate of hydrogen gas G per unit time from the canister C contained in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b, ensuring a continuous supply of hydrogen gas G necessary for power generation to the fuel cell unit 2 (an example of the operation "starting the supply of heat transfer fluid heated by the heating unit to the new liquid tank B, and starting the supply of a second gas from the storage container contained in the new liquid tank B").

[0085] Furthermore, in the switching state of the water Wh and Wc flow paths as shown in Figure 10, the remaining amount of hydrogen gas G in canister C, which is contained in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a where the canister C is located (the amount of hydrogen gas G has decreased due to supply to the fuel cell unit 2 prior to the flow path switching, has been reduced), and no water Wh remains in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10a due to the movement of water Wh to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b, and no new water Wc or water Wh flows in, and this state is maintained (an example of the operation "to maintain a state in which the amount of heat transfer fluid stored in the new liquid tank C is below the predetermined first amount of stored fluid, and no supply of the second gas or inflow of the second gas to the storage container contained in the new liquid tank C is performed"). With the above, the switching of the water W flow path is completed.

[0086] On the other hand, by continuing power generation by the fuel cell unit 2 and the storage of hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3, when the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10b decreases to the lower limit storage amount, or when the canister C in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10c increases to the upper limit storage amount (the state where "container change conditions are met"), the control unit 19 again switches the flow path of hydrogen gas G and the flow path of water W. Note that the process of this switching is the same as in the example described above, so a detailed explanation is omitted. As a result, power generation using hydrogen gas G for the fuel cell unit 2 and the storage of hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 are continued.

[0087] In the control example described above, the control unit 19 controls the temperature adjustment of water W by the heat pump 11, the supply of water W by pumps 12h, 12c and each on-off valve 13-16, and the switching of the flow path of hydrogen gas G by each on-off valve 17, 18, and supplies water Wc cooled by the evaporator 25 to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 (storage tank A) which houses the canister C into which hydrogen gas G flows, and the control unit 19 controls the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 which houses the canister C into which hydrogen gas G flows, and the control unit 19 controls the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 which houses the canister C into which hydrogen gas G flows The temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 (storage tank B) is supplied with water Wh heated by the condenser 22, and when the amount of hydrogen gas G stored in each temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 falls below a predetermined second storage amount, the amount of water W stored in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 (storage tank C) containing the canister C into which hydrogen gas G is not supplied or flowing is maintained below a predetermined first storage amount, and when the predetermined "container change conditions" are met, the temperature-controlled liquid tank A is supplied with water Wh heated by the condenser 22, and when the amount of hydrogen gas G stored in each temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 falls below a predetermined second storage amount, the amount of water W stored in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 (storage tank C) containing the canister C into which hydrogen gas G is not supplied is maintained below a predetermined first storage amount, and when the predetermined "container change conditions" are met, the temperature-controlled liquid tank A is maintained as "storage tank A". The water W stored in tank 10 is allowed to flow into the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as "liquid tank C," and the water W stored in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as "liquid tank B" is allowed to flow into the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as "liquid tank A." After that, the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as "liquid tank C" is converted into "new liquid tank A," and the supply of water W cooled by the evaporator 25 to "new liquid tank A" is started, and the inflow of hydrogen gas G into the canister C contained in "new liquid tank A" is started, and the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as "liquid tank A" is converted into "new The system starts supplying water W heated by the condenser 22 to the "new liquid storage tank B" as "liquid storage tank B," and also starts supplying hydrogen gas G from the canister C contained in "new liquid storage tank B." At the same time, it maintains a state in which the amount of water W stored in the "new liquid storage tank C" falls below a predetermined "first liquid storage amount," and no hydrogen gas G is supplied to or flows into the canister C contained in "new liquid storage tank C." Furthermore, this power generation system 100 is configured to include a hydrogen gas supply device 1 that performs the above control, a fuel cell unit 2, and a hydrogen gas generator 3.

[0088] Therefore, with this hydrogen gas supply device 1 and power generation system 100, when the "container change condition" is met, the low-temperature water Wc stored in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as "liquid storage tank A" (i.e., the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 containing the canister C into which hydrogen gas G was previously being introduced and stored) is introduced into the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as "liquid storage tank C" (i.e., the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 containing the canister C into which the hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 is to be introduced). This allows the energy required to cool the water Wc supplied to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as "liquid storage tank A" to be cooled, thereby enabling the hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 to be stored effectively. Furthermore, when the "container change condition" is met, the high-temperature water Wh stored in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as "liquid storage tank B" (i.e., the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 containing the canister C that had been supplying hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2 until just before) is allowed to flow into the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as "liquid storage tank A" (i.e., the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 containing the canister C that will begin supplying hydrogen gas G to the fuel cell unit 2). This allows the energy used to heat the water Wh supplied to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as "liquid storage tank B" to be used to heat the canister C contained in the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as "liquid storage tank A" (the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 containing the canister C, which has been stored with hydrogen gas G flowing in until just before, and whose temperature has decreased due to heat exchange with the low-temperature water Wc), thereby releasing a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas G required for power generation in the fuel cell unit 2.Furthermore, the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10, acting as "liquid storage tank C," can be supplied with low-temperature water Wc cooled by the evaporator 25, thereby allowing the hydrogen gas G generated by the hydrogen gas generator 3 to be suitably stored in the canister C contained in "new liquid storage tank A." The temperature-controlled liquid tank 10, acting as "liquid storage tank A," can then be supplied with high-temperature water Wh heated by the condenser 22, thereby allowing the hydrogen gas G to be suitably released from the canister C contained in "new liquid storage tank B" and supplied to the fuel cell unit 2. As a result, the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 acts as a "new liquid storage tank C," and the amount of water W stored falls below the "first liquid storage amount," and a state is maintained in which no hydrogen gas G is supplied from or flows into the canister C housed in the "new liquid storage tank C." This allows for the reliable and easy transfer of water W from the "new liquid storage tank A" to the "new liquid storage tank C," where water W no longer exists, when the "container change conditions" are later met. It also allows for the reliable and easy transfer of water W from the "new liquid storage tank B" to the "new liquid storage tank A," which has become empty of water W due to the transfer to the "new liquid storage tank C."

[0089] Furthermore, although the configuration described using a heat pump 11 to heat and cool water W as an example, the configuration of the "temperature control unit" is not limited to this. For example, a configuration can be adopted in which a heat source such as an electric heater as the "heating unit" and a cold source such as a refrigeration cycle (evaporator) as the "cooling unit" are operated to heat and cool the "heat transfer fluid". Furthermore, although the configuration described using a temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 equipped with three "liquid storage tanks" as an example, the number of "liquid storage tanks" is not limited to this and can be any number of four or more. Furthermore, although the configuration described using a heat pump 11 to heat and cool water Wh and Wc supplied to the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 to heat and cool the canister C inside the temperature-controlled liquid tank 10 as an example, the "heat transfer fluid" is not limited to water W, and various liquids such as brine and oil can be used.

[0090] In addition, although the configuration of a power generation system 100 equipped with a hydrogen gas generator 3 along with a hydrogen gas supply device 1 and a fuel cell unit 2 has been described, the configuration of the present invention can also be adopted in a power generation system (another example of a "power generation system") in which hydrogen gas G generated by an external hydrogen gas generator (gas generator) is stored in a canister C and supplied to the fuel cell unit 2 instead of such a configuration. Furthermore, a configuration in which hydrogen gas G is supplied from a "fuel supply device" equipped with a hydrogen gas supply device 1 and a fuel cell unit 2 to a "fuel cell unit" as an external device, or a configuration in which hydrogen gas G generated by an external hydrogen gas generator (gas generator) is supplied from the hydrogen gas supply device 1 to the "fuel cell unit" as an external device, can also be adopted. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0091] 100 power generation systems 1. Hydrogen gas supply device 2 Fuel cell units 3. Hydrogen gas generator 10a~10c Temperature control liquid tank 11 Heat pump 12h, 12c pump 13a~13c, 14a~14c, 15a~15c, 16a~16c, 17a~17c, 18a~18c On / Off Valves 19 Control Unit 21 Compressor 22 Condenser 23 Heat sink 23a Fan 24 Expansion valve 25 Evaporator C Hydrogen Canister G Hydrogen gas Wh,Wc water

Claims

1. A fuel supply device configured to supply a second gas to a fuel cell unit configured to generate electricity by reacting a first gas containing an oxidizing agent with a second gas containing hydrogen, Multiple storage containers capable of storing the second gas, At least three storage tanks configured to accommodate the aforementioned storage container and to store a heat transfer fluid that adjusts the temperature of the storage container through heat exchange with the storage container, A temperature control unit having a heating unit for heating the heat transfer fluid and a cooling unit for cooling the heat transfer fluid, A heat transfer fluid supply unit supplies the heat transfer fluid heated by the heating unit to one of the storage tanks, and supplies the heat transfer fluid cooled by the cooling unit to the other of the storage tanks, A gas flow path switching unit that allows the second gas generated by the gas generator to flow into the storage container located in one of the liquid storage tanks for storage, and supplies the second gas stored in the storage container located in one of the other liquid storage tanks to the fuel cell unit, The system comprises a control unit that controls the temperature adjustment of the heat transfer fluid by the temperature adjustment unit, the supply of the heat transfer fluid by the heat transfer fluid supply unit, and the switching of the second gas flow path by the gas flow path switching unit, The control unit, The heating unit is used to supply the heat transfer fluid heated by the heating unit to the first storage tank containing the storage container that supplies the second gas among the storage tanks, the cooling unit is used to supply the heat transfer fluid cooled by the cooling unit to the second storage tank containing the storage container into which the second gas flows, and in a state in which the second gas is stored in each of the storage tanks exceeding a predetermined first storage amount, the amount of heat transfer fluid stored in the third storage tank containing the storage container into which the second gas is not supplied and into which the second gas is not flowing is maintained to be below a predetermined first storage amount, When predetermined container change conditions are met, the heat transfer fluid stored in the first storage tank is allowed to flow into the third storage tank, and the heat transfer fluid stored in the second storage tank is allowed to flow into the first storage tank. Then, the supply of the heat transfer fluid heated by the heating unit to the new first storage tank is started, and the supply of the second gas from the storage container housed in the new first storage tank is started, and the first storage tank is changed to the new second storage tank. A fuel supply device that initiates the supply of the heat transfer fluid cooled by the cooling unit to the new second storage tank, and the inflow of the second gas into the storage container housed in the new second storage tank, while maintaining a state in which the amount of heat transfer fluid stored in the new third storage tank falls below the predetermined first storage amount, and the supply of the second gas to the storage container housed in the new third storage tank and the inflow of the second gas do not occur.

2. A fuel supply device configured to supply a second gas to a fuel cell unit configured to generate electricity by reacting a first gas containing an oxidizing agent with a second gas containing hydrogen, Multiple storage containers capable of storing the second gas, At least three storage tanks configured to accommodate the aforementioned storage container and to store a heat transfer fluid that adjusts the temperature of the storage container through heat exchange with the storage container, A temperature control unit having a heating unit for heating the heat transfer fluid and a cooling unit for cooling the heat transfer fluid, A heat transfer fluid supply unit supplies the heat transfer fluid heated by the heating unit to one of the storage tanks, and supplies the heat transfer fluid cooled by the cooling unit to the other of the storage tanks, A gas flow path switching unit that allows the second gas generated by the gas generator to flow into the storage container located in one of the liquid storage tanks for storage, and supplies the second gas stored in the storage container located in one of the other liquid storage tanks to the fuel cell unit, The system comprises a control unit that controls the temperature adjustment of the heat transfer fluid by the temperature adjustment unit, the supply of the heat transfer fluid by the heat transfer fluid supply unit, and the switching of the second gas flow path by the gas flow path switching unit, The control unit, The cooling unit cools the heat transfer fluid and supplies it to storage tank A, which houses the storage container into which the second gas is being introduced, and the heating unit heats the heat transfer fluid and supplies it to storage tank B, which houses the storage container into which the second gas is being supplied, while the amount of the second gas stored in each of the storage tanks falls below a predetermined second storage amount, and the amount of the heat transfer fluid stored in storage tank C, which houses the storage container into which the second gas is not being supplied and into which the second gas is not being introduced, is kept below a predetermined first storage amount. When predetermined container change conditions are met, the heat transfer fluid stored in storage tank A is allowed to flow into storage tank C, and the heat transfer fluid stored in storage tank B is allowed to flow into storage tank A. Then, with storage tank C as the new storage tank A, the supply of the heat transfer fluid cooled by the cooling unit to the new storage tank A and the inflow of the second gas into the storage container housed in the new storage tank A are initiated, and with storage tank A as the new storage tank B A fuel supply device that initiates the supply of the heat transfer fluid heated by the heating unit to the new storage tank B, and the supply of the second gas from the storage container housed in the new storage tank B, while maintaining a state in which the storage tank B is treated as the new storage tank C, the amount of the heat transfer fluid stored in the new storage tank C falls below the predetermined first amount of stored fluid, and the supply of the second gas to the storage container housed in the new storage tank C and the inflow of the second gas do not occur.

3. The fuel supply device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit determines that the predetermined container change condition has been met when the amount of the second gas stored in the storage container supplying the second gas decreases to a predetermined lower limit storage amount.

4. The fuel supply device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit determines that the predetermined container change condition has been met when the amount of the second gas stored in the storage container into which the second gas is flowing has increased to a predetermined upper limit storage amount.

5. A power generation system comprising the fuel supply device according to claim 1 or 2, the fuel cell unit, and the gas generator.

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