Hydrogen generation system and fuel cell system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10364149-B2
Application number	US-201715721961-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2017
Priority date	Oct 13, 2016
Publication date	Jul 30, 2019
Grant date	Jul 30, 2019

Abstract

A hydrogen generation system including: a reformer generating hydrogen-containing gas using a raw material and reforming water; a combustor combusting hydrogen-containing gas and air and generating exhaust gas; a first channel passing cooling water; a condenser generating condensed water by heat exchange between exhaust gas and cooling water; a tank storing condensed water as cooling water; a pump supplying cooling water from the tank to the condenser; a second channel branching at a branch between the pump and condenser in the first channel, and passing some cooling water to the reformer as reforming water; a heater provided downstream of the branch, and heating the first channel; a temperature detector detecting the temperature of the first channel; and a controller, in an activation operation mode, determining whether the second channel is filled with reforming water, based on the temperature detected by the temperature detector after the heater has operated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hydrogen generation system comprising:
a reformer which generates a hydrogen-containing gas using a raw material and reforming water;
a combustor which combusts the hydrogen-containing gas generated by the reformer and air to generate an exhaust gas;
an exhaust gas channel through which the exhaust gas is made to flow;
a cooling water channel through which cooling water is made to flow in order to cool the exhaust gas;
a condenser which causes moisture within the exhaust gas to be condensed by heat exchange between the exhaust gas and the cooling water to generate condensed water;
a water tank which accumulates, as the cooling water, the condensed water generated in the condenser;
a water supply pump which causes the cooling water accumulated inside the water tank to be supplied to the condenser;
a reforming water channel which branches at a first branching part provided between the water supply pump and the condenser in the cooling water channel, and through which a portion of the cooling water is made to flow to the reformer as the reforming water;
a heater which is provided further downstream than the first branching part in a flow direction of the cooling water in the cooling water channel, and which heats the cooling water channel;
a first temperature detector which detects a temperature of the cooling water channel heated by the heater; and
a controller,
wherein, in an activation operation mode which is an operation mode from activation to steady operation of the hydrogen generation system, the controller is programmed to cause the heater to operate, and determine whether or not inside of the reforming water channel is filled with the reforming water, based on the temperature detected by the first temperature detector after the heater has operated.

2. The hydrogen generation system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller is programmed to performs control in such a way that operation in the activation operation mode is made to stop when it is determined that the inside of the reforming water channel is not filled with the reforming water.

3. The hydrogen generation system according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in the activation operation mode, the controller is programmed to perform control in such a way that the heater is made to operate before the combustor is made to ignite.

4. The hydrogen generation system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the heater and the first temperature detector are provided in locations which are, in the flow direction of the cooling water in the cooling water channel, further downstream than the first branching part, and higher than the first branching part.

5. The hydrogen generation system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the cooling water channel is a circulation channel in which the cooling water circulates flowing through the water tank, the water supply pump, the first branching part, the condenser, the heater, and the first temperature detector.

6. The hydrogen generation system according to claim 5 ,
wherein the heater and the first temperature detector are provided in locations which are higher than the first branching part, and in a section between the condenser and the water tank in the cooling water channel.

7. The hydrogen generation system according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in a steady operation mode which is an operation mode in which the hydrogen generation system is in steady operation, the first temperature detector detects a temperature of the cooling water which is discharged from the condenser, and
the controller is programmed to determines whether or not there is an abnormality hydrogen generation system in the steady operation mode, based on the temperature detected by the first temperature detector.

8. The hydrogen generation system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the condenser, the heater, and the first temperature detector are arranged in this order, in the flow direction of the cooling water, in the cooling water channel.

9. The hydrogen generation system according to claim 8 ,
wherein a second temperature detector which detects a temperature of the cooling water channel is provided at a location which is further downstream than the condenser and further upstream than the heater, in the flow direction of the cooling water, in the cooling water channel, and
the controller, based on the temperature detected by the second temperature detector in addition to the temperature detected by the first temperature detector, is programmed to obtains a difference between the temperature detected by the first temperature detector and the temperature detected by the second temperature detector, and is programmed to determines whether or not the inside of the reforming water channel is filled with the reforming water, according to this difference between the temperatures.

10. The hydrogen generation system according to claim 1 ,
wherein a jig for arranging the heater in the cooling water channel is provided, and the first temperature detector is arranged in the cooling water channel as a single unit together with the heater by the jig.

11. The hydrogen generation system according to claim 1 ,
wherein a jig for arranging the heater in the cooling water channel is provided, and the first temperature detector is arranged near the jig in the cooling water channel.

12. A fuel cell system comprising:
a reformer which generates a hydrogen-containing gas using a raw material and reforming water;
a fuel cell which generates electricity using the hydrogen-containing gas and air;
a combustor which combusts the hydrogen-containing gas and air which have not been used in generation of electricity by the fuel cell to generate an exhaust gas;
an exhaust gas channel through which the exhaust gas is made to flow;
a cooling water channel through which cooling water is made to flow in order to cool the exhaust gas;
a condenser which causes moisture within the exhaust gas to be condensed by heat exchange between the exhaust gas and the cooling water to generate condensed water;
a water tank which accumulates, as the cooling water, the condensed water generated in the condenser;
a water supply pump which causes the cooling water accumulated inside the water tank to be supplied to the condenser;
a reforming water channel which branches at a first branching part provided between the water supply pump and the condenser in the cooling water channel, and through which a portion of the cooling water is made to flow to the reformer as the reforming water;
a heater which is provided further downstream than the first branching part in a flow direction of the cooling water in the cooling water channel;
a first temperature detector which detects a temperature of the cooling water channel heated by the heater; and
a controller,
wherein, in an activation operation mode which is an operation mode from activation to stead operation of the fuel cell system, the controller is programmed to cause the heater to operate, and determines whether or not inside of the reforming water channel is filled with the reforming water, based on the temperature detected by the first temperature detector after the heater has operated.

13. The fuel cell system according to claim 12 ,
wherein the fuel cell is a solid oxide fuel cell.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zhang Jin
• Onuma Shigenori
• Wakita Hidenobu
• Tsuji Yoichiro
• Yukimasa Akinori
• Kita Hiromi
• Morita Masashi

Classifications

• C01B2203/0233

  the reforming step being a steam reforming step · CPC title

• C01B2203/1258

  Pre-treatment of the feed · CPC title

• C01B2203/169

  Controlling the feed · CPC title

• C01B3/38 Primary

  using catalysts · CPC title

• H01M8/0618

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