Fuel cell system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10693166-B2
Application number	US-201715825169-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2017
Priority date	Dec 7, 2016
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell that generates electric power using fuel gas and oxidant gas, a fuel gas supply path through which the fuel gas is supplied to an anode inlet of the fuel cell, a recycle gas path through which anode off-gas discharged from an anode outlet of the fuel cell returns to the fuel gas supply path, and a pressure booster arranged in the recycle gas path, and the pressure booster is arranged above a confluence portion where the fuel gas supply path and the recycle gas path meet each other when gravity acts downward from above.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel cell system comprising:
a fuel cell that generates electric power using fuel gas and oxidant gas;
a fuel gas supply path through which the fuel gas is supplied to an anode inlet of the fuel cell;
a recycle gas path through which anode off-gas discharged from an anode outlet of the fuel cell returns to the fuel gas supply path; and
a pressure booster arranged in the recycle gas path,
wherein the pressure booster is arranged above a confluence portion where the fuel gas supply path and the recycle gas path meet each other when gravity acts downward from above, and the pressure booster is coupled to and positioned higher than the confluence portion such that a pipe from the pressure booster to the confluence portion is sloped or declined in a direction of gravity.

2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein
the recycle gas path between the pressure booster and the confluence portion extends at an identical level to the pressure booster and a level below the pressure booster, or extends only below the pressure booster.

3. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein
the anode inlet is arranged below the confluence portion.

4. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , further comprising
a humidifier arranged in the fuel gas supply path, wherein
in a direction in which the anode off-gas flows, the fuel cell, the pressure booster, the confluence portion, and the humidifier are arranged in this order, and a fuel gas inlet of the humidifier is arranged below the confluence portion.

5. The fuel cell system according to claim 4 , wherein
the anode inlet is arranged below a fuel gas outlet of the humidifier.

6. The fuel cell system according to claim 4 , further comprising
a cooling water circulation path through which cooling water that recovers heat of the fuel cell circulates, wherein
the humidifier includes a total heat exchanger that exchanges latent heat and sensible heat between the cooling water and the fuel gas.

7. The fuel cell system according to claim 4 , wherein
the humidifier includes a total heat exchanger that exchanges latent heat and sensible heat between the anode off-gas and the fuel gas.

8. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , further comprising
a gas liquid separator arranged in the recycle gas path, wherein
in a direction in which the anode off-gas flows, the fuel cell, the gas liquid separator, the pressure booster, and the confluence portion are arranged in this order.

9. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , further comprising
a gas liquid separator arranged in the recycle gas path, wherein
in a direction in which the anode off-gas flows, the fuel cell, the pressure booster, the gas liquid separator, and the confluence portion are arranged in this order.

10. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , further comprising
a gas liquid separator arranged in the fuel gas supply path, wherein
in a direction in which the anode off-gas flows, the fuel cell, the pressure booster, the confluence portion, and the gas liquid separator are arranged in this order.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ise Takehiko
• Yukimasa Akinori
• Morita Junji
• Abe Miki
• Usuki Yoshito

Classifications

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/04134

  by coolants · CPC title

• H01M8/04014 Primary

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

• H01M8/04126

  Humidifying · CPC title

• H01M8/04029

  Heat exchange using liquids · CPC title