Power generation system and fuel supply system

Abstract

To provide a power generation system and a fuel supply system that can sufficiently reduce power generation cost.SOLUTION: A power generation system comprises: pipelines 5a-5c that supply second gas exhausted from a hydrogen tank 20 to a separator 12; a gas-liquid separation tub 6 that separates water content included in the second gas caused to pass through the separator 12; an ejector 8 that is disposed between the pipelines 5a and 5c, and can suck in gas from an introduction port 8d through the passage of the second gas exhausted from the hydrogen tank 20 and join it to the second gas exhausted from the hydrogen tank 20; and a pipeline 7 that guides the second gas from which the water content is separated in the gas-liquid separation tub 6 to the introduction port 8d of the ejector.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a power generation system configured to generate power by a reaction between a first gas containing an oxidant and a second gas containing hydrogen, and a fuel supply system configured to be capable of supplying the second gas to power generation cells of the power generation system. BACKGROUND ART

[0002] For example, the following patent document discloses a fuel cell system including a fuel cell stack and a fuel supply system that supplies hydrogen gas as fuel to the fuel cell stack. In this case, the fuel supply system (hydrogen tank) is connected to an anode-side inlet of the fuel cell stack via a hydrogen supply pipe. Further, the hydrogen supply pipe is provided with a main valve that switches supply / stop of hydrogen gas from the hydrogen tank, a pressure reducing valve (regulator) that adjusts the hydrogen pressure, an injector that adjusts the supply amount of hydrogen gas, a pressure sensor that measures the pressure of the hydrogen gas injected from the injector, and the like.

[0003] Further, a gas-liquid separator that separates exhaust gas (a mixture of unreacted hydrogen gas and water) into hydrogen gas and water is connected to an anode-side outlet of the fuel cell stack. An exhaust drain pipe is connected to this gas-liquid separator via an exhaust drain valve, and by controlling the exhaust drain valve to an open state, water stored in the gas-liquid separator (water separated from the exhaust gas) is discharged to the exhaust drain pipe together with gas containing impurities. Further, the gas-liquid separator is connected to a circulation flow path for returning the separated hydrogen gas to the hydrogen supply pipe (to merge with the hydrogen gas supplied from the hydrogen tank to the fuel cell stack), and the circulation flow path is provided with a hydrogen pump that pressure-feeds the hydrogen gas from the gas-liquid separator to the hydrogen supply pipe.

[0004] In this fuel cell system, the supply of hydrogen gas from the hydrogen tank is initiated when the main valve is controlled to be open. This hydrogen gas is then pressure-regulated by a pressure-reducing valve and injected from an injector to be supplied to the anode side of the fuel cell stack. At this time, the control unit adjusts the amount of hydrogen gas supplied to the fuel cell stack (anode side) by controlling the injector according to the measurement results from the pressure sensor.

[0005] Furthermore, exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell stack (anode side) is separated into hydrogen gas and water in a gas-liquid separator. The separated water is stored in the gas-liquid separator and discharged into the exhaust drain pipe along with impurities when the exhaust drain valve is controlled to be open. The separated hydrogen gas is then pumped to the hydrogen supply pipe via a circulation channel by a hydrogen pump. As a result, the hydrogen gas separated in the gas-liquid separator is combined with the hydrogen gas supplied from the hydrogen tank to the fuel cell stack, so that unreacted hydrogen gas that did not contribute to power generation is reused as part of the fuel, reducing hydrogen gas consumption. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-038620 (pages 4-11, Figures 1-7) [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] However, the fuel cell system disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document has the following problems that need to be solved. Specifically, in the above-mentioned fuel cell system, hydrogen gas is supplied from the fuel supply system (hydrogen tank) to the fuel cell stack (anode side) via a hydrogen supply pipe to generate electricity, and exhaust gas from the fuel cell stack (a mixture of unreacted hydrogen gas and water) is separated into hydrogen gas and water in a gas-liquid separator, and the separated hydrogen gas is rejoined into the hydrogen gas in the hydrogen supply pipe via a circulation channel for reuse.

[0008] In this case, the fuel cell system employs a configuration in which hydrogen gas separated in a gas-liquid separator is pumped to a hydrogen supply pipe by a hydrogen pump. In other words, while this fuel cell system reduces hydrogen gas consumption by recovering and reusing hydrogen gas that did not contribute to power generation, electricity is consumed by the hydrogen pump that returns the recovered hydrogen gas to the hydrogen supply pipe, which makes it difficult to reduce power generation costs. Furthermore, the price of hydrogen pumps is also high, which further makes it difficult to reduce power generation costs.

[0009] This invention has been made in view of the aforementioned problems to be solved, and its main objective is to provide a power generation system and a fuel supply system that can sufficiently reduce power generation costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] To achieve the above objective, the power generation system according to claim 1 comprises a first separator through which a first gas containing an oxidizing agent passes, a second separator through which a second gas containing hydrogen passes, and a device disposed between the first separator and the second separator. membraneA power generation system comprising a power generation cell configured to generate electricity by reacting a first gas with a second gas via a film electrode assembly, wherein a plurality of flat laminated materials, each containing at least an electrode assembly, are laminated and integrated, the power generation system comprises: a first pipe for supplying the second gas discharged from a storage section containing the second gas to a second separator; a separation device for separating moisture contained in the second gas after it has passed through the second separator; an ejector disposed in the first pipe so as to be able to draw in gas from an intake port as the second gas discharged from the storage section passes through and merge with the second gas discharged from the storage section; and a second pipe for guiding the second gas, from which moisture has been separated by the separation device, to the intake port of the ejector. , a humidifier disposed between the ejector and the second separator in the first piping for humidifying the second gas supplied to the second separator, Equipped with The humidifier comprises a sealed container capable of storing water separated from the second gas in the separation device, a nozzle capable of discharging the second gas discharged from the ejector into the sealed container, and a number of spheres formed in a small spherical shape and housed in the sealed container so as to provide buoyancy to the water stored in the sealed container, wherein the second gas discharged from the nozzle is made to float in the water stored in the sealed container and then passes between the number of spheres before being supplied to the second separator. It is.

[0011] The fuel supply system according to claim 2 comprises a first separator through which a first gas containing an oxidizer passes, a second separator through which a second gas containing hydrogen passes, and a device disposed between the first separator and the second separator. membrane A fuel supply system configured to supply a second gas to a power generation cell, which is configured to generate electricity by reacting a first gas with a second gas via a film electrode assembly, wherein a plurality of flat laminated objects, each including at least an electrode assembly, are laminated and integrated, the second gas is supplied to the power generation cell, the fuel supply system comprising: a storage unit for storing the second gas; a first pipe for supplying the second gas discharged from the storage unit to a second separator; a separation device for separating moisture contained in the second gas that has passed through the second separator; an ejector disposed in the first pipe so as to be able to draw in gas from an intake port as the second gas discharged from the storage unit passes through and merge with the second gas discharged from the storage unit; and a second pipe for guiding the second gas, from which moisture has been separated by the separation device, to the intake port of the ejector. , a humidifier disposed between the ejector and the second separator in the first piping for humidifying the second gas supplied to the second separator, Equipped with The humidifier comprises a sealed container capable of storing water separated from the second gas in the separation device, a nozzle capable of discharging the second gas discharged from the ejector into the sealed container, and a number of spheres formed in a small spherical shape and housed in the sealed container so as to provide buoyancy to the water stored in the sealed container, wherein the second gas discharged from the nozzle is made to float in the water stored in the sealed container and then passes between the number of spheres before being supplied to the second separator. It is. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] The power generation system according to claim 1 and the fuel supply system according to claim 2 include: a first pipe for supplying a second gas discharged from a storage unit to a second separator; a separation device for separating moisture contained in the second gas that has passed through the second separator; an ejector disposed in the first pipe so as to be able to draw in gas from an intake port as the second gas discharged from the storage unit passes through and merge with the second gas discharged from the storage unit; and a second pipe for guiding the second gas from which moisture has been separated in the separation device to the intake port of the ejector.

[0013] Therefore, according to the power generation system described in claim 1 and the fuel supply system described in claim 2, by recovering and reusing the unreacted second gas (hydrogen) discharged from the storage unit, the amount of hydrogen consumed for power generation can be sufficiently reduced. Furthermore, since there is no need for pumps or the like to combine the recovered second gas with the second gas discharged from the storage unit, and no electricity is consumed for the combining process, power generation costs can be sufficiently reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a diagram showing the configuration of power generation system 1. [Figure 2] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration of ejector 8. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration of humidifier 30. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] The embodiments of the fuel supply device and power generation system will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0016] The power generation system 1 shown in Figure 1 is configured to generate electricity by reacting gases for power generation (air (atmosphere: oxygen), which is an example of a "first gas containing an oxidizer," and hydrogen gas, which is an example of a "second gas containing hydrogen"). Specifically, the power generation system 1 includes a pump 2, piping 3a-3c, gas-liquid separator 4, piping 5a-5d, gas-liquid separator 6, piping 7, ejector 8, piping 9a, 9b, fuel cell cell 10, hydrogen tank 20, and humidifier 30. In this example of the power generation system 1, all components except the hydrogen tank 20, piping 5b, and humidifier 30 constitute a "power generation system equipped with a power generation cell configured to generate electricity by reacting the first gas and the second gas," and all components except the pump 2, piping 3a-3c, and fuel cell cell 10 constitute a "fuel supply system configured to supply the second gas to the power generation cell."

[0017] In this case, the fuel cell cell 10 is an example of a "power generation cell" and comprises a power generation stack consisting of a separator 11 which is an example of a "first separator", a separator 12 which is an example of a "second separator", and an MEA 13 which is an example of a "membrane electrode assembly", as well as a separator (not shown) for passing a cooling fluid (air or coolant), and end plates (not shown) disposed at both ends in the stacking direction of each stack. In this example, each plate, such as the separators 11, 12, MEA 13, the cooling separator, and the end plates, corresponds to "multiple flat stacked objects", and the fuel cell cell 10 is constructed by stacking and integrating these.

[0018] Further, the separator 11 is formed with grooves (not shown) for allowing air (atmosphere) to pass therethrough, and the separator 12 is formed with grooves (not shown) for allowing hydrogen gas to pass therethrough. These are laminated such that the MEA 13 is sandwiched between the two separators 11 and 12, whereby an air flow path 11c is constituted by the grooves of the separator 11 and one surface of the MEA 13, and a hydrogen flow path 12c is constituted by the grooves of the separator 12 and the other surface of the MEA 13. Further, the MEA 13 is configured to include an electrolyte membrane, a catalyst layer, a gas diffusion layer, and the like. The actual fuel cell unit 10 is configured to include a plurality of the aforementioned power generation stacks and cooling separators according to the power generation capacity required of the power generation system 1, but for ease of understanding the configuration and operation of the power generation system 1, only one power generation stack is illustrated, and illustration and description of the cooling separators and end plates are omitted.

[0019] Further, the hydrogen tank 20 is an example of a "storage unit storing a second gas", and stores hydrogen gas that has been generated elsewhere and transported to the installation location of the power generation system 1 (the hydrogen tank 20), hydrogen gas generated by a hydrogen generator (not shown) installed at the installation location of the power generation system 1 together with the power generation system 1, and the like, and is configured to be capable of supplying this hydrogen gas to the separator 12 of the fuel cell unit 10 as the "second gas: fuel".

[0020] Further, the humidifier 30 is configured to be capable of humidifying the hydrogen gas supplied from the hydrogen tank 20 to the fuel cell unit 10 (the separator 12). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the humidifier 30 includes a sealed container 31 capable of storing water injected prior to the start of power generation and water supplied from the gas-liquid separation tanks 4 and 6 via the pipe 9a, a nozzle 32 disposed at the distal end of the pipe 5b that guides the hydrogen gas discharged from the ejector 8 to the humidifier 30, and a large number of spheres 33, 33·· accommodated in the sealed container 31, and is configured such that the hydrogen gas humidified by being passed through the water can be supplied to the fuel cell unit 10 (the separator 12) via the pipe 5c. In this case, the spheres 33 are formed into small spherical shapes of a material and structure capable of generating buoyancy with respect to the water stored in the sealed container 31. The humidification of the hydrogen gas by this humidifier 30 will be described in detail later.

[0021] On the other hand, the pump 2 pressure-feeds (supplies) air into the air flow path 11c of the separator 11. The pipe 3a is connected to the intake port of the pump 2, the pipe 3b has one end connected to the exhaust port of the pump 2 and the other end connected to the pipe connection portion 11a (intake port) of the separator 11, and the pipe 3c has one end connected to the pipe connection portion 11b (exhaust port) of the separator 11 and the other end connected to the gas-liquid separation tank 4. Regarding the pump 2 and each of the pipes 3a to 3c, instead of the configuration as described above, the pipe 3a may be directly connected to the pipe connection portion 11a of the separator 11, the other end of the pipe 3c may be connected to the intake port of the pump 2, and the exhaust port of the pump 2 may be connected to the gas-liquid separation tank 4 via another pipe (not shown). When such a configuration is adopted, the air in the separator 11 (the air flow path 11c) is sucked by the pump 2, so that new air is sucked (supplied) from the pipe 3a to the separator 11 (the air flow path 11c), and the air sucked by the pump 2 (exhaust gas from the separator 11) is pressure-fed to the gas-liquid separation tank 4.

[0022] The gas-liquid separation tank 4 is configured to separate the exhaust gas (a mixture of air and water) discharged from the separator 11 and flowing in through the piping 3c into air and water. In this case, when generating power in the fuel cell cell 10, the air (oxygen) passing through the separator 11 (air passage 11c) reacts with the hydrogen gas passing through the separator 12 (hydrogen passage 12c) to generate water in the air passage 11c, and this water is discharged from the separator 11 together with the exhaust gas (air that has reacted with hydrogen). Therefore, in the power generation system 1 of this example, this water is recovered in the gas-liquid separation tank 4 and the recovered water is supplied to the humidifier 30.

[0023] One end of pipe 5a is connected to the hydrogen tank 20 and the other end is connected to the ejector 8; one end of pipe 5b is connected to the ejector 8 and the other end is connected to the humidifier 30; one end of pipe 5c is connected to the humidifier 30 and the other end is connected to the pipe connection part 12a (intake port) of the separator 12; and one end of pipe 5d is connected to the pipe connection part 12b (exhaust port) of the separator 12 and the other end is connected to the gas-liquid separation tank 6. In this example, pipes 5a to 5c together constitute the "first piping that supplies the second gas discharged from the storage unit to the second separator."

[0024] The gas-liquid separation tank 6 is an example of a "separation device for separating moisture contained in the second gas that has passed through the second separator," and is configured to separate the exhaust gas (a mixture of unreacted hydrogen gas and water) that has passed through the hydrogen channel 12c of the separator 12 and is exhausted to the pipe 5d from the pipe connection 12b into hydrogen gas and water.

[0025] In this case, as will be described later, when hydrogen gas supplied from the hydrogen tank 20 is supplied to the fuel cell cell 10 (separator 12), the pressure and temperature of the hydrogen gas change sequentially in the flow path (piping 5a to 5c, ejector 8 and humidifier 30) and in the separator 12 (hydrogen flow path 12c) from the hydrogen tank 20 to the separator 12. As a result, condensation may occur in the flow path and in the separator 12, causing liquid phase moisture (water droplets) to form.

[0026] Furthermore, the hydrogen gas discharged from the hydrogen tank 20 is dehumidified to prevent condensation from occurring inside the tank, and its humidity is low. When such low-humidity hydrogen gas is supplied to the fuel cell cell 10 (separator 12), the MEA 13 dries up, reducing the power generation efficiency. Therefore, in the power generation system 1 of this example, a configuration is adopted in which the low-humidity hydrogen gas discharged from the hydrogen tank 20 is humidified in the humidifier 30 before being supplied to the fuel cell cell 10. Hereinafter, as will be described in detail later, the power generation system 1 of this example employs a configuration to prevent liquid-phase water from being discharged from the humidifier 30 along with the hydrogen gas, however, a very small amount of liquid-phase water may be discharged along with the hydrogen gas.

[0027] Therefore, when power is generated by the power generation system 1, water generated by condensation in the flow path and inside the separator 12, as well as water discharged from the humidifier 30 along with hydrogen gas, may be discharged from the pipe connection 12b along with unreacted hydrogen gas. Accordingly, the power generation system 1 in this example employs a configuration in which this water is recovered in the gas-liquid separation tank 6 and the recovered water is supplied to the humidifier 30 for reuse.

[0028] Piping 7 is an example of "a second pipe that guides the second gas, from which moisture has been separated in the separation device, to the intake port of the ejector," with one end connected to the exhaust port of the gas-liquid separation tank 6 and the other end connected to the inlet 8d of the ejector 8. The ejector 8 is an example of "an ejector arranged in the first piping so as to be able to draw in gas from the intake port by passing the second gas discharged from the storage unit and to merge with the second gas discharged from the storage unit," and as shown in Figure 2, it comprises a nozzle 8a, a diffuser 8b, a sealed container 8c, and an inlet 8d, and as described above, the nozzle 8a is connected to the hydrogen tank 20 via piping 5a, and the diffuser 8b is connected to the humidifier 30 via piping 5b.

[0029] In this ejector 8, the inlet 8d (an example of an "intake port") is connected to the inside of a sealed container 8c, and the gas-liquid separation tank 6 and the inside of the sealed container 8c are connected via a pipe 7 connected to the inlet 8d. In this ejector 8, the nozzle 8a and the diffuser 8b are arranged in the sealed container 8c such that the exhaust port of the nozzle 8a and the inlet of the diffuser 8b are slightly separated and facing each other inside the sealed container 8c. As a result, in this ejector 8, a negative pressure is generated inside the sealed container 8c by the flow of hydrogen gas (hydrogen gas discharged from the hydrogen tank 20 and moving toward the fuel cell cell 10) moving at high speed from the nozzle 8a toward the diffuser 8b. This negative pressure draws the hydrogen gas in the gas-liquid separation tank 6 into the sealed container 8c from the inlet 8d via the pipe 7, and merges it with the hydrogen gas flowing from the nozzle 8a toward the inlet 8d.

[0030] Piping 9a is configured to supply water, which has been separated from the exhaust in the gas-liquid separation tanks 4 and 6 and stored in the tanks, to the humidifier 30. In reality, valve mechanisms that allow / regulate the discharge of water from the gas-liquid separation tanks 4 and 6 are installed in piping 9a, but in order to facilitate understanding of the configuration of the power generation system 1, their illustrations and explanations are omitted. Piping 9b is connected to the gas-liquid separation tank 4 so that the separated air can be released into the atmosphere.

[0031] In this power generation system 1, as described above, electricity is generated by reacting air (atmosphere: oxygen) and hydrogen gas (hydrogen) supplied from the hydrogen tank 20 in the fuel cell cell 10. Specifically, when the start of power generation is instructed by operating an operation unit (not shown), the pump 2 starts pumping air (oxygen). At this time, the air drawn in through pipe 3a is supplied to the separator 11 through pipe 3b. In parallel with the supply of air to the separator 11, the supply of hydrogen gas from the hydrogen tank 20 is started, and the hydrogen gas discharged from the hydrogen tank 20 is supplied to the separator 12 through pipe 5a, ejector 8, pipe 5b, humidifier 30, and pipe 5c. As a result, electricity is generated by the reaction between the air (oxygen) passing through the air channel 11c and the hydrogen gas (hydrogen) passing through the hydrogen channel 12c.

[0032] In this case, the power generation system 1 of this example employs a configuration in which, as mentioned above, the hydrogen gas discharged from the hydrogen tank 20 is humidified in the humidifier 30 before being supplied to the fuel cell cell 10 (separator 12) in order to avoid the MEA 13 drying up due to the supply of low-humidity hydrogen gas from the hydrogen tank 20 to the fuel cell cell 10 (separator 12). Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, the hydrogen gas supplied via piping 5b and discharged into the sealed container 31 from the nozzle 32 absorbs moisture as it floats in the water inside the sealed container 31, thereby increasing its relative humidity. The hydrogen gas that has floated to near the water surface passes between each sphere 33, 33... and is discharged into piping 5c. This ensures that hydrogen gas with sufficiently high humidity is supplied to the fuel cell cell 10 (separator 12) via piping 5c ​​without causing a large amount of water inside the sealed container 31 to be discharged along with the hydrogen gas.

[0033] On the other hand, when generating electricity in the fuel cell cell 10, about 85% of the hydrogen gas introduced from the piping connection 12a into the hydrogen flow path 12c is consumed by reaction with air (oxygen), but the remaining 15% or so of hydrogen gas is exhausted from the piping connection 12b into the piping 5d without reacting with air (oxygen). Therefore, in the power generation system 1 of this example, a configuration is adopted to reduce the overall consumption of hydrogen gas (hydrogen) by recovering the hydrogen gas (unreacted hydrogen) discharged from the piping connection 12b and reusing the recovered hydrogen gas by combining it with the hydrogen gas supplied from the hydrogen tank 20 to the separator 12 (piping connection 12a).

[0034] In this case, as mentioned above, the hydrogen gas supplied to the separator 12 may contain moisture generated by condensation due to pressure and temperature changes in the flow path from the hydrogen tank 20 to the separator 12 and within the hydrogen flow path 12c, as well as moisture discharged from the ejector 8. Therefore, the hydrogen gas discharged from the pipe connection 12b may contain water droplets, and if such hydrogen gas is reused as is (supplied to the separator 12 as is), there is a risk that a very large amount of moisture will flow from the pipe connection 12a into the hydrogen flow path 12c.

[0035] In such a state, water droplets flowing into the hydrogen channel 12c may create resistance to the passage of hydrogen gas, making it difficult to pass a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas to react with air (oxygen). Therefore, in the power generation system 1 of this example, a configuration is adopted in which moisture discharged from the pipe connection 12b to the pipe 5d along with the hydrogen gas is separated into water and hydrogen gas in the gas-liquid separation tank 6, and the hydrogen gas containing almost no liquid water is combined with the hydrogen gas supplied from the hydrogen tank 20 and supplied to the separator 12.

[0036] In this example of power generation system 1, which generates electricity by supplying hydrogen gas discharged from hydrogen tank 20 to fuel cell cell 10, the pressure of the hydrogen gas in piping 5a (discharge pressure of hydrogen gas from hydrogen tank 20) ​​is high, at approximately 1.0 MPa. Therefore, in this example of power generation system 1, as shown in Figure 2, the high-pressure hydrogen gas discharged from hydrogen tank 20 is injected at high speed from the nozzle 8a of the ejector 8 toward the diffuser 8b as indicated by arrow A, thereby creating a negative pressure between the nozzle 8a and the diffuser 8b. This negative pressure is used to combine the hydrogen gas injected from the nozzle 8a (hydrogen gas discharged from hydrogen tank 20) ​​with the hydrogen gas in the sealed container 8c as indicated by arrow Ba, and then discharged from the diffuser 8b into piping 5b as indicated by arrow C.

[0037] In this case, the gas-liquid separator 6 is connected to the inlet 8d of the sealed container 8c via piping 7. Therefore, the hydrogen gas in the sealed container 8c is discharged from the diffuser 8b to piping 5b along with the hydrogen gas discharged from the hydrogen tank 20. As a result, the hydrogen gas discharged from the piping connection 12b and having its water removed in the gas-liquid separator 6 is drawn into the ejector 8 (sealed container 8c) via piping 7 and merged with the hydrogen gas from the hydrogen tank 20 as described above. This ensures that not only the hydrogen gas discharged from the hydrogen tank 20, but also the hydrogen gas discharged from the separator 12 and having its water removed in the gas-liquid separator 6 is used as hydrogen gas for power generation, thus significantly reducing the amount of hydrogen gas consumed by the power generation system 1.

[0038] Meanwhile, by continuing power generation in the fuel cell cell 10 as described above, moisture contained in the exhaust from separator 11 is separated and stored in gas-liquid separation tank 4, and moisture contained in the exhaust from separator 12 is separated and stored in gas-liquid separation tank 6. This water is supplied to the humidifier 30 from gas-liquid separation tanks 4 and 6 via piping 9a as water to humidify the hydrogen gas in the humidifier 30. As a result, the hydrogen gas is humidified with the supplied water in the humidifier 30, and hydrogen gas at a suitable humidity that does not cause drying up is continuously supplied to separator 12. After this, the power generation by the power generation system 1 continues until an instruction to stop power generation is given.

[0039] Thus, this power generation system 1 includes piping 5a to 5c that supplies hydrogen gas discharged from the hydrogen tank 20 to the separator 12, a gas-liquid separation tank 6 that separates moisture contained in the hydrogen gas that has passed through the separator 12, an ejector 8 disposed between piping 5a and 5b that can draw hydrogen gas into a sealed container 8c from an inlet 8d (intake port) as the hydrogen gas discharged from the hydrogen tank 20 passes through, and merge with the hydrogen gas discharged from the hydrogen tank 20, and piping 7 that guides the hydrogen gas from which moisture has been separated in the gas-liquid separation tank 6 to the inlet 8d of the ejector 8.

[0040] Therefore, this power generation system and fuel supply system not only significantly reduces the amount of hydrogen gas consumed for power generation by recovering and reusing the unreacted hydrogen gas discharged from the separator 12, but also eliminates the need for pumps or other equipment to combine the recovered hydrogen gas with the hydrogen gas discharged from the hydrogen tank 20, thus eliminating the consumption of electricity for the combining process, and thus significantly reduces power generation costs.

[0041] The configurations of the "power generation system" and the "fuel supply system" are not limited to the example configuration of power generation system 1 described above.

[0042] For example, the configuration of power generation system 1 equipped with a hydrogen tank 20 (source of hydrogen gas) was used as an example in the explanation, but the configuration of the present invention can also be applied to a "power generation system" that generates electricity using hydrogen gas supplied from an external "storage unit" instead of the hydrogen tank 20. Furthermore, the configuration of the present invention can also be applied to a "fuel supply system" that supplies hydrogen gas as fuel to a power generation unit, which is an external device similar to the pump 2, piping 3a to 3c and fuel cell cell 10. In addition, the configuration in which the water recovered in the gas-liquid separation tanks 4 and 6 is used to humidify the hydrogen gas in the humidifier 30 was used as an example in the explanation, but it is also possible to employ a "humidifier" that humidifies the hydrogen gas without using the water discharged from the separator 11 and separator 12. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0043] 1. Power generation system 2 pumps Piping 3a~3c, 5a~5d, 7, 9a, 9b 4,6 Gas-liquid separation tank 8 Ejectors 8a Nozzle 8b Diffuser 8c airtight container 8d Inlet 10 fuel cell cells 11,12 Separator 11a, 11b, 12a, 12b Pipe connection section 11c air passage 12c Hydrogen channel 13 MEA 20 hydrogen tanks 30 Humidifier 31. Airtight container 32 nozzles 33 Spheres

Claims

1. A power generation system comprising a power generation cell configured to generate electricity by reacting the first gas and the second gas via the film electrode assembly, wherein a plurality of flat laminates, each including at least a first separator through which a first gas containing an oxidizing agent passes, a second separator through which a second gas containing hydrogen passes, and a film electrode assembly disposed between the first and second separators, are stacked and integrated, and the first gas and the second gas are reacted via the film electrode assembly, A first pipe that supplies the second gas, which is discharged from the storage section where the second gas is stored, to the second separator, A separation device for separating the moisture contained in the second gas that has passed through the second separator, An ejector is provided in the first piping so as to be able to draw in gas from the intake port by the passage of the second gas discharged from the storage unit and to merge with the second gas discharged from the storage unit, A second pipe guides the second gas, from which moisture has been separated in the separation device, to the intake port of the ejector, The system comprises a humidifier disposed between the ejector and the second separator in the first piping for humidifying the second gas supplied to the second separator, The humidifier is a power generation system comprising a sealed container capable of storing water separated from the second gas in the separation device, a nozzle capable of discharging the second gas discharged from the ejector into the sealed container, and a number of spheres formed in a small spherical shape and housed in the sealed container so as to generate buoyancy relative to the water stored in the sealed container, wherein the second gas discharged from the nozzle is made to float in the water stored in the sealed container and then passes between the number of spheres before being supplied to the second separator.

2. A fuel supply system configured to supply the second gas to a power generation cell configured to generate electricity by reacting the first gas with the second gas via the membrane electrode assembly, wherein a plurality of flat laminates are stacked and integrated, each including at least a first separator through which a first gas containing an oxidizing agent passes, a second separator through which a second gas containing hydrogen passes, and a membrane electrode assembly disposed between the first and second separators, the system comprising a first separator through which a first gas containing an oxidizing agent passes, a second separator through which a second gas contains hydrogen passes, and a membrane electrode assembly disposed between the first and second separators, the system comprising a first separator through which a first gas containing an oxidizing agent passes, a second separator through which a second gas contains hydrogen passes, The storage unit for storing the second gas, A first pipe that supplies the second gas discharged from the storage unit to the second separator, A separation device for separating the moisture contained in the second gas that has passed through the second separator, An ejector is provided in the first piping so as to be able to draw in gas from the intake port by the passage of the second gas discharged from the storage unit and to merge with the second gas discharged from the storage unit, A second pipe guides the second gas, from which moisture has been separated in the separation device, to the intake port of the ejector, The system comprises a humidifier disposed between the ejector and the second separator in the first piping for humidifying the second gas supplied to the second separator, The humidifier is a fuel supply system configured to include a sealed container capable of storing water separated from the second gas in the separation device, a nozzle capable of discharging the second gas discharged from the ejector into the sealed container, and a number of spheres formed in a small spherical shape and housed in the sealed container so as to provide buoyancy to the water stored in the sealed container, wherein the second gas discharged from the nozzle is made to float in the water stored in the sealed container before passing through the number of spheres and being supplied to the second separator.

Images