Fuel cell ship

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12407005-B2
Application number	US-202217830122-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2022
Priority date	Jun 2, 2021
Publication date	Sep 2, 2025
Grant date	Sep 2, 2025

Abstract

A fuel cell ship includes a cooling system that cools a fuel cell. The cooling system includes a cooling medium tank that accommodates a cooling medium, a cooling medium circulation pipe that circulates the cooling medium between the fuel cell and the cooling medium tank, a cooling tank internal gas detector installed in the cooling medium tank, a cooling tank internal gas discharge pipe connected to the cooling medium tank, and a cooling tank internal gas discharge valve installed in the cooling tank internal gas discharge pipe. The fuel cell ship includes a control unit that controls opening and closing of the cooling tank internal gas discharge valve. The control unit opens the cooling tank internal gas discharge valve when the cooling tank internal gas detector detects that the concentration of the fuel gas in the cooling medium tank is equal to or greater than a specified value determined in advance.

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 a fuel;
a propulsion device configured to generate a propulsive force on a hull by the electric power supplied from the fuel cell;
a cooling system configured to cool the fuel cell, the cooling system includes:
a cooling medium tank that accommodates a cooling medium,
a cooling medium circulation pipe configured to circulate the cooling medium between the fuel cell and the cooling medium tank,
a cooling tank internal gas detector installed in the cooling medium tank,
a cooling tank internal gas discharge pipe connected to the cooling medium tank, and
a cooling tank internal gas discharge valve installed in the cooling tank internal gas discharge pipe; and

a control unit configured to control opening and closing of the cooling tank internal gas discharge valve,
wherein the control unit is further configured to open the cooling tank internal gas discharge valve based on the cooling tank internal gas detector detecting that a concentration of a gaseous fuel in the cooling medium tank is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

2. The fuel cell ship according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a cooling medium tank installation compartment where the cooling medium tank is installed,
wherein a gas discharge port of the cooling tank internal gas discharge pipe is located above electrical equipment in the cooling medium tank installation compartment.

3. The fuel cell ship according to claim 2 , wherein:
the cooling medium tank installation compartment includes a ventilation port configured to communicate with an outside of the fuel cell ship, and
the ventilation port is located above the gas discharge port.

4. The fuel cell ship according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a fuel tank configured to accommodate the fuel; and
a fuel supply pipe configured to supply the fuel from the fuel tank to the fuel cell, and
wherein the fuel supply pipe passes through the cooling medium tank installation compartment.

5. The fuel cell ship according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling medium tank is located at an uppermost part of a circulation path of the cooling medium flowing through the cooling medium circulation pipe.

6. The fuel cell ship according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a supply-side fuel pressure detection unit configured to detect a pressure of the fuel supplied to the fuel cell; and
a supply-side cooling medium pressure detection unit configured to detect a pressure of the cooling medium supplied to the fuel cell, and
wherein the control unit is configured to stop power generation by the fuel cell based on the pressure of the fuel being greater than the pressure of the cooling medium.

7. The fuel cell ship according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a supply-side fuel pressure detection unit configured to detect a pressure of the fuel supplied to the fuel cell;
a supply-side cooling medium pressure detection unit configured to detect a pressure of the cooling medium supplied to the fuel cell;
a discharge-side fuel pressure detection unit configured to detect a pressure of the fuel discharged from the fuel cell; and
a discharge-side cooling medium pressure detection unit configured to detect a pressure of the cooling medium discharged from the fuel cell,
wherein:
a difference between the pressure of the fuel detected by the supply-side fuel pressure detection unit and the pressure of the cooling medium detected by the supply-side cooling medium pressure detection unit is defined as a first pressure difference, and
a difference between the pressure of the fuel detected by the discharge-side fuel pressure detection unit and the pressure of the cooling medium detected by the discharge-side cooling medium pressure detection unit is defined as a second pressure difference,
the control unit is further configured to stop power generation by the fuel cell based on the first pressure difference or the second pressure difference being equal to or greater than a second predetermined value.

8. The fuel cell ship according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is further configured to close the cooling tank internal gas discharge valve to seal the cooling medium tank based on the cooling tank internal gas detector detecting that the concentration of the gaseous fuel in the cooling medium tank is less than the predetermined value.

9. The fuel cell ship according to claim 8 , wherein a temperature of the cooling medium supplied to the fuel cell and a temperature of the cooling medium discharged from the fuel cell is greater than or equal to 100° C.

Assignees

• Yanmar Holdings Co Ltd

Inventors

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

Classifications

• H01M2250/20

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

• H01M8/04768

  of the coolant · CPC title

• H01M8/04358

  of the coolant · CPC title

• H01M8/04014

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

• H01M8/0267

  having heating or cooling means, e.g. heaters or coolant flow channels · CPC title