Fuel cell unit

Abstract

This fuel cell unit 100 comprises: a housing 10; and a fuel cell module disposed inside the housing 10. The housing 10 has: a body part 12; a door 14 openably / closably attached to the body part 12; and a plurality of louvers 16 disposed forward of the door 14. The door 14 includes: an intake port 20 for guiding air into the housing 10; and an exhaust port 22 for guiding exhaust gas, which has been discharged from a fuel cell module 40, to the outside of the housing 10. The intake port 20 and the exhaust port 22 are covered by the plurality of louvers 16.

Description

fuel cell unit

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a fuel cell unit.

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a fuel cell system including a fuel cell module, auxiliary equipment, a power conversion device, and a housing. The fuel cell module, auxiliary equipment, and power conversion device are housed in a housing. The housing has multiple sides, one of which constitutes a removable or openable maintenance side. Only the maintenance side is provided with an intake port for introducing oxidant gas into the housing, an exhaust port for discharging exhaust gas emitted from the fuel cell module to the outside of the housing, and a ventilation inlet and ventilation outlet for ventilating the inside of the housing with air.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-171005

[0004] The housing is required to have a good design and an excellent appearance. In particular, the appearance when viewed from the front is important. On the other hand, since the housing is provided with an intake port and an exhaust port, it is necessary to avoid sacrificing intake and exhaust performance.

[0005] The present disclosure provides a technique for imparting design features to the housing of a fuel cell unit while ensuring intake and exhaust performance.

[0006] The present disclosure provides a fuel cell unit comprising: a housing; and a fuel cell module arranged inside the housing, wherein the housing has a main body, a door attached to the main body so as to be able to open and close, and a plurality of louvers arranged in front of the door, wherein the door includes an intake port that directs air into the inside of the housing and an exhaust port that directs exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell module to the outside of the housing, and wherein the intake port and the exhaust port are covered by the plurality of louvers.

[0007] According to the technology of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a design feature to the housing of the fuel cell unit while ensuring intake and exhaust performance.

[0008] A perspective view of a fuel cell unit according to the first embodiment. A front view of a housing with a plurality of louvers removed. A front view of a housing with some of the plurality of louvers removed. A rear view of a design panel including a plurality of louvers. A partial cross-sectional view of the fuel cell unit shown in FIG. 1. A partial perspective view of a plurality of louvers. A partial top view of the fuel cell unit.

[0009] (Knowledge and other information that forms the basis of this disclosure) In terms of design, it is desirable that the intake and exhaust ports be located on the maintenance surface for accessing the fuel cell module inside the housing. If the intake and exhaust ports are located on the side or back of the housing, the side or back of the housing becomes the maintenance surface. If the side or back of the housing is the maintenance surface, it is difficult to narrow the gap between adjacent fuel cell units. Therefore, there is a risk that the installation area will increase when installing multiple fuel cell units.

[0010] On the other hand, if the intake and exhaust ports are located on the front of the housing, they can become an obstacle to adding design. That is, if components for adding design are provided on the front of the housing, it may be difficult for air to flow into the intake port or for exhaust gas to be discharged from the exhaust port. Therefore, it is necessary to add design to the housing of the fuel cell unit while ensuring intake and exhaust performance.

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, unnecessary detailed description may be omitted. For example, detailed description of already well-known matters or redundant description of substantially the same configuration may be omitted.

[0012] The accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter recited in the claims.

[0013] First Embodiment Hereinafter, a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6B.

[0014] [1-1. Configuration] Fig. 1 is a front view of a fuel cell unit according to a first embodiment. The fuel cell unit 100 includes a housing 10. A fuel cell module is disposed inside the housing 10. The housing 10 has a main body 12, a door 14, and a plurality of louvers 16. The door 14 is attached to the main body 12 so as to be able to open and close. The plurality of louvers 16 are disposed in front of the door 14 as components that constitute a design panel 18.

[0015] The housing 10 has, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The main body 12 has an opening surface that serves as a maintenance surface. In this embodiment, the front surface of the main body 12 is the opening surface. The fuel cell module inside the housing 10 can be accessed through the opening surface. The opening surface of the main body 12 is closed by a door 14. The main body 12 may have only one opening surface. In this case, the two side surfaces and the back surface of the main body 12 may be configured as walls that cannot be opened.

[0016] 2 is a front view of the housing 10 with the multiple louvers 16 removed. The door 14 includes an air intake vent 20 and an exhaust vent 22. The air intake vent 20 is an opening for introducing air into the interior of the housing 10. The air is supplied to the fuel cell module as oxidant gas. The exhaust vent 22 is an opening for introducing exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell module to the outside of the housing 10. The exhaust gas includes at least one of anode off-gas discharged from the anode of the fuel cell module and cathode off-gas discharged from the cathode of the fuel cell module.

[0017] As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2 , the intake port 20 and the exhaust port 22 are covered by a plurality of louvers 16. Air can flow into the intake port 20 through slits between adjacent louvers 16. Exhaust gas from the exhaust port 22 can be discharged into the surrounding space through slits between adjacent louvers 16. With this configuration, the arrangement of a plurality of louvers 16 on the surface where the intake port 20 and the exhaust port 22 are present can provide a design aesthetic while ensuring intake and exhaust performance. Because the intake port 20 and the exhaust port 22 can be omitted from the side or rear of the housing 10, the spacing between adjacent fuel cell units 100 can be narrowed. In other words, the fuel cell unit 100 of this embodiment improves the flexibility in installing multiple fuel cell units 100 in a predetermined location, thereby enabling a reduction in the installation area.

[0018] The air intake 20 may have multiple louvers. The multiple louvers divide the air intake 20 into multiple slit sections. The air exhaust 22 may have multiple louvers. The multiple louvers divide the air exhaust 22 into multiple slit sections. The longitudinal direction of each louver is parallel to the horizontal direction. The louvers of the air intake 20 and the louvers of the air exhaust 22 may be formed integrally with the door 14. In other words, the louvers of the air intake 20 and the louvers of the air exhaust 22 are part of the door 14 and are made of the same material (stainless steel, aluminum alloy, etc.) as the door 14.

[0019] Each of the multiple louvers 16 has a length that exceeds the maximum dimension of the air intake 20 in a plan view and the maximum dimension of the air exhaust 22 in a plan view. When the multiple louvers 16 have such lengths, they can cover the entire air intake 20 and the entire air exhaust 22. "The maximum dimension of the air intake 20 in a plan view" means the diameter of the smallest circle that circumscribes the air intake 20 in a plan view (front view) of the door 14. When the air intake 20 has louvers, the maximum dimension of the air intake 20 can be specified as if it did not have louvers. The same applies to the air exhaust 22.

[0020] Each of the multiple louvers 16 that make up the design panel 18 extends vertically from the upper end to the lower end of the door 14. This configuration is advantageous for ensuring high intake performance and high exhaust performance compared to when the louvers 16 are provided locally. In this embodiment, the vertical length of the multiple louvers 16 exceeds the vertical length of the door 14. When the housing 10 is viewed from the front, the entire door 14 is covered by the multiple louvers 16. This configuration makes it possible to provide a fuel cell unit 100 with excellent design.

[0021] In this embodiment, the front surface of the design panel 18 is not provided with holes (screw holes) for attaching fasteners such as screws, or cutout holes for accessing the handle 24 of the door 14. This embodiment makes it possible to avoid the deterioration of the appearance caused by screw holes, cutout holes, etc., and ultimately to provide a fuel cell unit 100 with excellent design. If all of the louvers 16 that make up the design panel 18 are structures with the same structure, the same dimensions, and the same material, the cost of the design panel 18 can also be reduced.

[0022] In this embodiment, the door 14 is a double door including a left portion 14 a and a right portion 14 b. A handle 24 is provided on each of the left portion 14 a and the right portion 14 b. An air intake 20 is provided on each of the left portion 14 a and the right portion 14 b.

[0023] A rating plate 26 and a warning label 28 are attached to the door 14. The rating plate 26 lists the model number and specifications of the fuel cell unit 100. The warning label 28 lists information defined by industrial standards such as the Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS).

[0024] FIG. 3 is a front view of the housing 10 with some of the louvers 16 removed. The remaining louvers 16 remain attached to the door 14. The door 14 can be opened and closed in the state shown in FIG. 3 . That is, the door 14 is configured to open left and right with at least some of the louvers 16 attached. The door 14 can be opened and closed integrally with the louvers 16. According to this embodiment, it is not necessary to remove all of the louvers 16 (i.e., the design panel 18) from the door 14 during maintenance. This is advantageous when installing multiple fuel cell units 100 in a limited space. Furthermore, because maintenance can be performed by removing only some of the louvers 16, a large space is not required to store the removed louvers 16 during maintenance. This improves workability in small spaces.

[0025] In this embodiment, at least some of the multiple louvers 16 can be removed from and attached to the door 14 without tools. This configuration makes it easy to perform maintenance on the fuel cell unit 100. Of course, at least some of the multiple louvers 16 may also be attached to the door 14 with fastening members such as screws or bolts. In this case, at least some of the multiple louvers 16 can be removed from and attached to the door 14 using tools.

[0026] In this embodiment, the plurality of louvers 16 (six in the example of FIG. 3) located in front of the handle 24 and in front of the dividing line between the left and right portions 14a, 14b of the door 14 can be attached and detached without tools. This configuration allows the double door 14 to be easily opened.

[0027] When some of the multiple louvers 16 are removed from the door 14, the rating plate 26 and the warning label 28 are visible from the front. In other words, the positions and number of the removable louvers 16 are taken into consideration so that the rating plate 26 and the warning label 28 are visible.

[0028] FIG. 4 is a rear view of the design panel 18 including a plurality of louvers 16. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the housing 10 further includes a first mounting bracket 32 ​​and a second mounting bracket 34. The first mounting bracket 32 ​​extends horizontally and is divided into a portion corresponding to the left portion 14a of the door 14 and a portion corresponding to the right portion 14b of the door 14. In other words, the design panel 18 itself is configured to be separable into left and right portions. The plurality of louvers 16 includes a plurality of first louvers 16a and a plurality of second louvers 16b. The plurality of first louvers 16a are connected to each other in parallel by the first mounting bracket 32. In this embodiment, each of the plurality of first louvers 16a is fixed to the first mounting bracket 32 ​​by fastening members such as screws. The plurality of second louvers 16b are connected to each other in parallel by the second mounting bracket 34. In this embodiment, each of the plurality of second louvers 16b is fixed to the second mounting bracket 34 by fastening members such as screws. The first louvers 16a are fixed to the door 14. The second louvers 16b are not fixed to the door 14 and can be attached or detached from the door 14 without tools. The first mounting bracket 32 ​​extends to a receiving position RP where the plurality of first louvers 16a are not present. At the receiving position RP, the second mounting bracket 34 is placed on the first mounting bracket 32, thereby combining the plurality of first louvers 16a with the plurality of second louvers 16b. The plurality of second louvers 16b can be manually removed from the door 14 by sliding them upward and moving them toward the front of the door 14.

[0029] In this embodiment, the housing 10 is provided with a plurality of first mounting brackets 32. Each of the plurality of first louvers 16a is fixed to the first mounting bracket 32 ​​at a plurality of positions in the vertical direction. This configuration can increase the rigidity of the design panel 18. Similarly, the housing 10 is provided with a plurality of second mounting brackets 34. Each of the plurality of second louvers 16b is fixed to the second mounting bracket 34 at a plurality of positions in the vertical direction. This configuration can increase the rigidity of the plurality of second louvers 16b, making it easier to remove the plurality of second louvers 16b from the door 14.

[0030] The first mounting bracket 32 ​​also has holes 32h for fastening members at positions corresponding to the second louvers 16b. It is also possible to fix each of the second louvers 16b to the first mounting bracket 32 ​​with a fastening member such as a screw.

[0031] FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the fuel cell unit 100 shown in FIG. 1. The cross-section shown in FIG. 5 is taken along line VV shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, the housing 10 further includes a mounting bracket 30 (upper mounting bracket). The mounting bracket 30 is a member interposed between the upper ends of the multiple louvers 16 and the upper end of the door 14. The multiple louvers 16 are secured to the door 14 by the mounting bracket 30. With this configuration, the multiple louvers 16 can be fixed to the door 14.

[0032] In this embodiment, the multiple first louvers 16a are fixed to the mounting bracket 30 with fastening members such as screws. The mounting bracket 30 is bent in an L-shape and covers the upper end surface of the door 14, and is fixed to the upper end of the door 14 with fastening members such as screws. This secures the multiple first louvers 16a to the door 14. The multiple second louvers 16b are not fixed to either the mounting bracket 30 or the door 14. Note that a cross section of the second louvers 16b is visible in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5, a fuel cell module 40 is housed in the main body 12 of the housing 10. The fuel cell module 40 includes a fuel cell stack, auxiliary equipment, and the like.

[0033] The mounting bracket 30 also has holes 30h for fastening members at positions corresponding to the second louvers 16b. Each of the second louvers 16b can also be fixed to the mounting bracket 30 with a fastening member such as a screw.

[0034] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the housing 10 further includes a support bracket 38. The support bracket 38 is a member interposed between the multiple louvers 16 and the lower end of the door 14. More specifically, the support bracket 38 is fixed to the lower end of the door 14 and protrudes forward from the door 14. The first mounting bracket 32 ​​is placed on the support bracket 38, thereby supporting the multiple louvers 16 by the support bracket 38. With this configuration, the multiple louvers 16 can be stably attached to the door 14. In this embodiment, the housing 10 includes a multiple number of support brackets 38.

[0035] FIG. 6A is a partial perspective view of multiple louvers 16. FIG. 6B is a partial top view of the fuel cell unit 100. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, in this embodiment, each of the multiple louvers 16 has a rectangular columnar shape with a surface 16p that forms an air passage. The angle θ between the surface 16p of the louver 16 and the front surface 14p of the door 14 is in the range of 45 degrees or more and less than 90 degrees. With this configuration, it is possible to ensure a sufficient air volume required for intake and exhaust while taking design into consideration. The surface 16p is a surface that forms a slit between adjacent louvers 16.

[0036] In this embodiment, the louvers 16 have a hollow rectangular column shape. This allows the weight of the plurality of louvers 16 to be reduced while ensuring the rigidity and design of the louvers 16. Note that instead of the rectangular column shape, the louvers 16 may have a plate shape having a surface that forms an air passage.

[0037] There are no particular limitations on the material of the louvers 16. The louvers 16 may be made of a metal such as aluminum, an aluminum alloy, or stainless steel.

[0038] 6B , when the housing 10 is viewed from the front, adjacent louvers 16 overlap in the front-to-rear direction. With this configuration, the intake port 20 and the exhaust port 22 cannot be seen when the housing 10 is viewed from the front, so that the fuel cell unit 100 has excellent design.

[0039] Specifically, for two adjacent louvers 16, one horizontal end 16s of one louver 16 is positioned to overlap the other louver 16, and the other horizontal end 16t of the other louver 16 is positioned to be hidden by one louver 16. In this embodiment, the one horizontal end 16s of one louver 16 and the other horizontal end 16t of the other louver 16 are positioned on an imaginary plane P. The imaginary plane P is a plane that is perpendicular to the front surface 14p of the door 14 and parallel to the vertical direction. With this configuration, the multiple louvers 16 can effectively hide the intake vent 20 and the exhaust vent 22.

[0040] Adjacent louvers 16 do not have to overlap in the front-to-rear direction. When the housing 10 is viewed from the front, a small gap (for example, 1 mm or less) may exist between adjacent louvers 16.

[0041] [1-2. Effects, etc.] As described above, in this embodiment, the intake port 20 and the exhaust port 22 are covered by the multiple louvers 16. With this configuration, it is possible to provide a design feature to the housing 10 of the fuel cell unit 100 while ensuring intake and exhaust performance.

[0042] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, each of the plurality of louvers 16 may have a length that exceeds the maximum dimension of the air intake port 20 in a plan view and the maximum dimension of the air exhaust port 22 in a plan view. When the plurality of louvers 16 have such a length, the air intake port 20 and the air exhaust port 22 can be entirely covered.

[0043] In this embodiment, each of the plurality of louvers 16 may extend vertically from the upper end to the lower end of the door 14. This configuration makes it possible to provide a fuel cell unit 100 with excellent design.

[0044] In the present embodiment, the door 14 may be configured to open to the left and right with at least some of the louvers 16 attached. With this configuration, it is not necessary to remove all of the louvers 16 from the door 14 during maintenance.

[0045] In this embodiment, at least some of the plurality of louvers 16 may be removable from the door 14 without tools, or may be attachable to the door 14 without tools. This configuration allows for easy maintenance of the fuel cell unit 100.

[0046] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the housing 10 may further include mounting brackets 30 interposed between the upper ends of the plurality of louvers 16 and the upper end of the door 14, and the plurality of louvers 16 may be fastened to the door 14 by the mounting brackets 30. With this configuration, the plurality of louvers 16 can be reliably fixed to the door 14.

[0047] In the present embodiment, the housing 10 may further include a first mounting bracket 32 ​​and a second mounting bracket 34, and the plurality of louvers 16 may include a plurality of first louvers 16a connected in parallel to one another by the first mounting bracket 32 ​​and a plurality of second louvers 16b connected in parallel to one another by the second mounting bracket 34. The first mounting bracket 32 ​​may extend to a receiving position RP where the plurality of first louvers 16a are not present, and at the receiving position RP, the plurality of first louvers 16a and the plurality of second louvers 16b may be combined by placing the second mounting bracket 34 on the first mounting bracket 32. With this configuration, the plurality of second louvers 16b can be manually removed from the door 14.

[0048] In this embodiment, each of the plurality of louvers 16 may have the shape of a plate or a rectangular pillar having a surface 16p that forms an air passage, and the angle formed between the surface 16p of the louver 16 and the front surface 14p of the door 14 may be in the range of 45 degrees or more and less than 90 degrees. With this configuration, it is possible to ensure a sufficient air volume required for intake and exhaust while taking into consideration the design.

[0049] Furthermore, in this embodiment, adjacent louvers 16 may overlap in the front-to-rear direction when the housing 10 is viewed from the front. With this configuration, the intake port 20 and the exhaust port 22 cannot be seen from the front, so that the fuel cell unit 100 can be provided with excellent design.

[0050] The techniques of the present disclosure are useful in fuel cell units.

Claims

1. A fuel cell unit comprising: a housing; and a fuel cell module arranged inside the housing, wherein the housing has a main body, a door attached to the main body so as to be able to open and close, and a plurality of louvers arranged in front of the door, wherein the door includes an air intake port for directing air into the inside of the housing and an exhaust port for directing exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell module to the outside of the housing, and the air intake port and the exhaust port are covered by the plurality of louvers.

2. The fuel cell unit according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of louvers has a length that exceeds a maximum dimension of the intake port in a plan view and a maximum dimension of the exhaust port in a plan view.

3. The fuel cell unit according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of louvers extends in the vertical direction from the upper end to the lower end of the door.

4. The fuel cell unit according to claim 1, wherein the door is configured to open to the left and right with at least a portion of the plurality of louvers attached.

5. The fuel cell unit according to claim 4, wherein at least a portion of said plurality of louvers are removable from said door without tools and installable to said door without tools.

6. The fuel cell unit described in claim 1, wherein the housing further has mounting brackets interposed between upper ends of the plurality of louvers and an upper end of the door, and the plurality of louvers are engaged with the door by the mounting brackets.

7. The fuel cell unit described in claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises a first mounting bracket and a second mounting bracket, the plurality of louvers including a plurality of first louvers connected in parallel to each other by the first mounting bracket and a plurality of second louvers connected in parallel to each other by the second mounting bracket, the first mounting bracket extends to a receiving position where the plurality of first louvers are not present, and at the receiving position, the second mounting bracket is placed on top of the first mounting bracket, thereby combining the plurality of first louvers and the plurality of second louvers.

8. A fuel cell unit as described in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of louvers has the shape of a plate or a rectangular prism having a surface that forms an air passage, and the angle between the surface of the louver and the front surface of the door is in the range of 45 degrees or more and less than 90 degrees.

9. The fuel cell unit according to claim 1, wherein adjacent louvers overlap in the front-to-rear direction when the housing is viewed from the front.

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