Hydrogen generating apparatus and fuel cell system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10256489-B2
Application number	US-201615229115-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 5, 2016
Priority date	Aug 28, 2015
Publication date	Apr 9, 2019
Grant date	Apr 9, 2019

Abstract

A hydrogen generating apparatus includes a reformer that reforms fuel and generates reformed gas containing hydrogen, a combustor that heats the reformer, an exhaust gas path which covers the surroundings of an outer wall of the reformer and through which combustion exhaust gas from the combustor flows, and a reformed gas path through which the reformed gas sent from the reformer toward the combustor flows. The reformer is arranged on a flame forming side of the combustor, and a gas flow within the reformer in a portion thereof where the gas flow contacts the outer wall of the reformer is opposed to a flow of the combustion exhaust gas in the exhaust gas path in a portion thereof where the combustion exhaust gas contacts the outer wall of the reformer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hydrogen generating apparatus comprising:
a reformer that reforms fuel and generates reformed gas containing hydrogen;
a combustor that heats the reformer, the reformer being arranged on a flame forming side of the combustor;
an exhaust gas path which covers surroundings of an outer wall of the reformer and through which combustion exhaust gas from the combustor flows; and
a reformed gas path through which the reformed gas sent from the reformer toward the combustor flows,
wherein the exhaust gas path is configured such that the combustion exhaust gas flows upward from the combustor and the reformed gas path extends downward towards the combustor and passes through the combustor, and a gas flow within the reformer in a portion thereof where the gas flow contacts the outer wall of the reformer is opposed to a flow of the combustion exhaust gas in the exhaust gas path in a portion thereof where the combustion exhaust gas contacts the outer wall of the reformer.

2. The hydrogen generating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the reformer includes a sidewall portion that is formed by the outer wall and an inner wall.

3. The hydrogen generating apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the inner wall and the outer wall are each a circular cylindrical body.

4. The hydrogen generating apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the combustor is a circular ring body, and the reformed gas path passes through an inner space of the circular ring body.

5. The hydrogen generating apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the reformed gas from a reforming catalyst disposed in the sidewall portion is sent to the reformed gas path after being turned around at the inner wall of the reformer.

6. The hydrogen generating apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an evaporator that generates steam through heat exchange with the combustion exhaust gas, the steam being used to carry out steam reforming of the fuel in the reformer,
wherein the evaporator is arranged in contact with the reformer.

7. The hydrogen generating apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the evaporator is arranged downstream of the reformer in a flow direction of the combustion exhaust gas.

8. A fuel cell system comprising:
a reformer that carries out steam reforming of fuel and generates reformed gas containing hydrogen;
a combustor that heats the reformer, the reformer being arranged on a flame forming side of the combustor;
an exhaust gas path which covers surroundings of an outer wall of the reformer and through which combustion exhaust gas from the combustor flows;
a reformed gas path through which the reformed gas sent from the reformer toward the combustor flows;
an evaporator that generates steam through heat exchange with the combustion exhaust gas, the steam being used to carry out the steam reforming of the fuel in the reformer;
an air heat exchanger that includes a cylindrical air supply path arranged around the exhaust gas path, and that performs heat exchange between air flowing in the air supply path and the combustion exhaust gas flowing in the exhaust gas path; and
a fuel cell that generates electric power by employing the air from the air supply path and the reformed gas from the reformed gas path,
wherein the exhaust gas path is configured such that the combustion exhaust gas flows upward from the combustor and the reformed gas path extends downward towards the combustor and passes through the combustor, a gas flow inside the reformer in a portion thereof where the gas flow contacts an outer wall of the reformer is opposed to a flow of the combustion exhaust gas in the exhaust gas path in a portion thereof where the combustion exhaust gas contacts the outer wall of the reformer, and the combustor burns the reformed gas and the air, which have not contributed to a power generating reaction in the fuel cell.

9. The fuel cell system according to claim 8 , wherein the reformer includes a sidewall portion that is formed by the outer wall and an inner wall.

10. The fuel cell system according to claim 9 , wherein the inner wall and the outer wall are each a circular cylindrical body.

11. The fuel cell system according to claim 9 , wherein the reformed gas from a reforming catalyst disposed in the sidewall portion is sent to the reformed gas path after being turned around at the inner wall of the reformer.

12. The fuel cell system according to claim 8 , wherein the combustor is a circular ring body, and the reformed gas path passes through an inner space of the circular ring body.

13. The fuel cell system according to claim 8 , wherein the evaporator is arranged in contact with the reformer.

14. The fuel cell system according to claim 8 , wherein the evaporator is arranged downstream of the reformer in a flow direction of the combustion exhaust gas.

15. The fuel cell system according to claim 8 , further comprising an air heat exchanger that includes a cylindrical inner wall, a cylindrical outer wall, and an air supply path defined between the cylindrical inner wall and the cylindrical outer wall, the air heat exchanger being arranged coaxially with the reformer in a surrounding relation to the reformer,
wherein the fuel cell is a solid oxide fuel cell,
wherein the reformer includes a circular cylindrical inner wall, a circular cylindrical outer wall, and a reforming catalyst disposed between the circular cylindrical inner wall and the circular cylindrical outer wall,
wherein the combustor that burns anode off-gas discharged from the solid oxide fuel cell,
wherein the solid oxide fuel cell is disposed at a position spaced from both the reformer and the combustor along a center axis of the reformer,
the reformer is disposed at a position spaced from the combustor, the circular cylindrical inner wall being arranged around a combustion space for a flame that is formed by the combustor, and
an exhaust gas path of the combustor is formed by a first space between a lower end of the reformer and the combustor and by a second space between the circular cylindrical outer wall and the cylindrical inner wall.

16. The fuel cell system according to claim 15 , wherein the reformer includes, above the reforming catalyst, a water evaporator that is formed by the circular cylindrical inner wall and the circular cylindrical outer wall, and a raw material and water both having passed through the water evaporator are supplied to the reforming catalyst.

17. The fuel cell system according to claim 16 , wherein combustion exhaust gas of the combustor successively flows through the first space, the second space, and a space around the water evaporator in mentioned order.

18. The fuel cell system according to claim 16 , wherein the water evaporator includes a flow path member that is disposed between the circular cylindrical inner wall and the circular cylindrical outer wall, and that forms a spiral flow path, and
the raw material and the water spirally flow along the flow path member.

19. The fuel cell system according to claim 15 , further comprising a flame guide that has a circular cylindrical shape, and that is abutted against a surface of the combustor in which a flame opening is formed,
wherein the flame guide is arranged on an inner side of the circular cylindrical inner wall coaxially with the reformer in a surrounding relation to the combustion space above the flame opening.

20. The fuel cell system according to claim 19 , further comprising a combustion exhaust gas guide that has a circular cylindrical shape, and

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kakuwa Takashi
• Ukai Kunihiro
• Fujita Tatsuo

Classifications

• H01M8/04014

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

• B01J8/0278

  Feeding reactive fluids (for solid material B01J8/0015) · CPC title

• H01M8/0631

  Reactor construction specially adapted for combination reactor/fuel cell (hydrogen C01B3/00; reactors for physicochemical processes B01J19/00) · CPC title

• C01B2203/066

  with fuel cells · CPC title

• C01B2203/1058

  Nickel catalysts · CPC title