Fuel cell system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10090548-B2
Application number	US-201514923839-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2015
Priority date	Nov 26, 2014
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

A fuel cell system includes a desulfurizer that removes a sulfur compound in a raw material, a fuel cell unit that performs electric-power generation using fuel obtained by reforming a raw material from which the sulfur compound is removed and electric-power generation air supplied, a combustion exhaust gas passage through which combustion exhaust gas generated by combusting fuel not utilized for the electric-power generation in the fuel cell unit is emitted, a combustion exhaust gas container that is connected to the combustion exhaust gas passage and accommodates the desulfurizer inside the combustion exhaust gas container, a purifier that removes carbon monoxide included in the combustion exhaust gas, and an air heat exchanger that performs heat exchange of the combustion exhaust gas and the electric-power generation air supplied to the fuel cell unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel cell system comprising:
a desulfurizer that removes a sulfur compound in a raw material;
a fuel cell unit that performs electric-power generation using fuel obtained by reforming a raw material from which the sulfur compound is removed and electric-power generation air supplied;
a combustion exhaust gas passage through which combustion exhaust gas generated by combusting fuel not utilized for the electric-power generation in the fuel cell unit is emitted;
a combustion exhaust gas container that is connected to the combustion exhaust gas passage and accommodates the desulfurizer inside the combustion exhaust gas container;
a purifier that removes carbon monoxide included in the combustion exhaust gas; and
an air heat exchanger that performs heat exchange of the combustion exhaust gas and the electric-power generation air supplied to the fuel cell unit,
the fuel cell unit being arranged in a first heat insulation space covered with a first heat insulator,
the combustion exhaust gas container, the purifier, and the air heat exchanger being arranged in a second heat insulation space covered with a second heat insulator.

2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a heater that heats at least one of the combustion exhaust gas container, the desulfurizer, and the purifier.

3. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein
the first heat insulation space is arranged so as to be adjacent to the second heat insulation space via the first heat insulator and the second heat insulator.

4. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein
the combustion exhaust gas container, the purifier and the air heat exchanger are arranged via at least one partition wall inside a single container covered with the second heat insulator.

5. The fuel cell system according to claim 4 , wherein
the partition wall between the air heat exchanger and the combustion exhaust gas container is provided with a heat-insulating material.

6. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein
the combustion exhaust gas flows through the combustion exhaust gas container, the purifier, and the air heat exchanger in this order.

7. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a main air heat exchanger provided in the fuel cell unit, wherein
the air heat exchanger preheats electric-power generation air transferred to the main air heat exchanger.

8. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a lid that covers an opening provided in the purifier so that the opening is openable and closable.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kita Hiromi
• Ukai Kunihiro
• Sukawa Toru

Classifications

• C01B2203/1247

  Higher hydrocarbons · CPC title

• H01M8/0618

  Reforming processes, e.g. autothermal, partial oxidation or steam reforming · CPC title

• H01M8/04022

  Heating by combustion · CPC title

• H01M8/04014

  Heat exchange using gaseous fluids; Heat exchange by combustion of reactants · CPC title

• H01M8/0668

  Removal of carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide · CPC title