Fuel cell ship

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12401050-B2
Application number	US-202217830112-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2022
Priority date	Jun 2, 2021
Publication date	Aug 26, 2025
Grant date	Aug 26, 2025

Abstract

A fuel cell ship includes a fuel cell compartment in which a fuel cell is installed, a tank compartment in which a fuel tank is installed, a fuel supply pipe through which fuel is supplied from the fuel tank to the fuel cell, and a control unit. The fuel supply pipe includes at least two shutoff valves. Fuel gas detectors that detect a fuel gas being in a gaseous state of the fuel are each installed in the compartments. If at least one of the fuel gas detectors detects that a concentration of the fuel gas is equal to or greater than a predetermined standard value, the control unit controls to close a shutoff valve in a compartment out of the tank compartment and the fuel cell compartment, where the fuel gas detector having detected the concentration equal to or greater than the standard value is installed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fuel cell ship comprising:
a fuel cell configured to generate electric power by an electrochemical reaction of fuel;
a propulsion device configured to generate a propulsive force in a hull by the electric power supplied from the fuel cell;
a fuel cell compartment in which the fuel cell is installed;
a tank compartment in which a fuel tank configured to store the fuel is installed; and
a fuel supply pipe through which the fuel is configured to be supplied from the fuel tank to the fuel cell,
wherein:
the fuel supply pipe includes two or more shutoff valves,
at least one of the two or more shutoff valves is installed in each of the tank compartment and the fuel cell compartment,
the fuel cell ship further includes a control unit configured to control opening and closing of the two or more shutoff valves,
the tank compartment and the fuel cell compartment are each provided with fuel gas detectors configured to detect a fuel gas being in a gaseous state of the fuel, and
based on detection by at least one of the fuel gas detectors that a concentration of the fuel gas is equal to or greater than a predetermined standard value, the control unit is configured to close the shutoff valve in a compartment out of the tank compartment and the fuel cell compartment, in which the fuel gas detector that detects that the concentration is equal to or greater than the predetermined standard value is installed.

2. The fuel cell ship according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to close the shutoff valves in all of the compartments based on detection by at least one of the fuel gas detectors that the concentration of the fuel gas is equal to or greater than the predetermined standard value.

3. The fuel cell ship according to claim 2 , wherein:
the shutoff valve installed in the tank compartment is a tank side shutoff valve and the shutoff valve installed in the fuel cell compartment is a fuel cell side shutoff valve,
the fuel cell ship further comprises:
a fuel discharge pipe branched from the fuel supply pipe and provided between the tank side shutoff valve and the fuel cell side shutoff valve; and
a release valve installed in the fuel discharge pipe, and

the control unit is configured to close the tank side shutoff valve and the fuel cell side shutoff valve and to open the release valve based on detection by at least one of the fuel gas detectors that the concentration of the fuel gas is equal to or greater than the predetermined standard value.

4. The fuel cell ship according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit is configured to close the release valve based on a pressure in the fuel supply pipe being greater than or equal to a predetermined specified pressure after the release valve is opened.

5. The fuel cell ship according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit is configured to close the release valve after a predetermined specified time elapses after the release valve is opened.

6. The fuel cell ship according claim 3 , further comprising:
a duct compartment that houses a part of the fuel supply pipe,
wherein:
the fuel gas detector is further installed in the duct compartment in addition to the tank compartment and the fuel cell compartment, and
the control unit is configured to close the tank side shutoff valve and the fuel cell side shutoff valve based on detection by the fuel gas detector in the duct compartment that the concentration of the fuel gas is equal to or greater than the predetermined standard value.

7. The fuel cell ship according to claim 6 further comprising:
a vent pipe configured to guide, to outside, the fuel gas discharged from the fuel discharge pipe via the release valve; and
a vent pipe internal gas detector configured to detect the fuel gas inside the vent pipe,
wherein the control unit is configured to:
determine whether the release valve has failed based on detection results of the fuel gas detectors and the vent pipe internal gas detector, and
provide a notification.

8. The fuel cell ship according to claim 7 , wherein the control unit is configured to:
based on detection by the vent pipe internal gas detector that the fuel gas has a concentration equal to or greater than the predetermined standard value in a state in which neither of the fuel gas detectors in the tank compartment and in the duct compartment detect the fuel gas having the concentration equal to or greater than the predetermined standard value:
determine that the release valve has failed, and issue a closing command to the release valve.

Assignees

• Yanmar Holdings Co Ltd

Inventors

• Maruyama Takehiro
• Yamaguchi Yasuyoshi
• Hiraiwa Takuya
• Shinagawa Manabu
• Kimura Yukihiko

Classifications

• H01M2250/20

  Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title

• H01M8/04201 Primary

  Reactant storage and supply, e.g. means for feeding, pipes · CPC title

• B63H2021/003

  the power plant using fuel cells for energy supply or accumulation, e.g. for buffering photovoltaic energy · CPC title

• B63H21/38

  Apparatus or methods specially adapted for use on marine vessels, for handling power plant or unit liquids, e.g. lubricants, coolants, fuels or the like ({in outboard drives B63H20/001; } lubricating or cooling machines or engines in general F01 - F04) · CPC title

• B63H21/17 Primary

  by electric motor · CPC title