Hybrid device and hybrid system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016164128-A1
Application number	US-201414906489-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 24, 2014
Priority date	Jul 24, 2013
Publication date	Jun 9, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A hybrid device includes an electrolysis cell stack device, a fuel cell stack device comprising and a vaporizer. The electrolysis cell stack device includes an electrolysis cell stack including a plurality of electrolysis cells that generate a hydrogen-containing gas from a water vapor-containing gas. Each electrolysis cell includes a first electrolysis cell gas-flow passage extending lengthwise from a first end to a second end of the each electrolysis cell. The fuel cell stack device includes a fuel cell stack including a plurality of fuel cells. Each fuel cell includes a fuel cell gas-flow passage extending lengthwise from a first end to a second end of the each fuel cell. The vaporizer is disposed near the fuel cell stack for generating the water vapor-containing gas to be supplied to the electrolysis cell stack device. At least a portion of the hydrogen-containing gas is supplied to the fuel cell stack device.

First claim

1 . A hybrid device comprising:
an electrolysis cell stack device comprising an electrolysis cell stack, the electrolysis cell stack comprising a plurality of electrolysis cells that generate a hydrogen-containing gas from a water vapor-containing gas, each electrolysis cell of the plurality of electrolysis cells comprising:
a first electrolysis cell gas-flow passage that extends lengthwise from a first end to a second end of the each electrolysis cell;
a fuel cell stack device comprising a fuel cell stack, the fuel cell stack comprising a plurality of fuel cells, each fuel cell of the plurality of fuel cells comprising:
a fuel cell gas-flow passage that extends lengthwise from a first end to a second end of the each fuel cell; and
a vaporizer disposed near the fuel cell stack for generating the water vapor-containing gas to be supplied to the electrolysis cell stack device, wherein at least a portion of the hydrogen-containing gas generated by the electrolysis cell stack device is supplied to the fuel cell stack device.

2 . The hybrid device according to claim 1 , wherein
the vaporizer is disposed in a middle portion of the fuel cell stack in an arrangement direction of the plurality of fuel cells.

3 . The hybrid device according to claim 1 , wherein
at least a portion of current generated by the fuel cell stack device is supplied to the electrolysis cell stack device.

4 . The hybrid device according to claim 1 , wherein
the vaporizer is disposed at a side of the fuel cell stack in the arrangement direction of the plurality of fuel cells.

5 . The hybrid device according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of fuel cells are configured to combust an excess hydrogen-containing gas not used in power generation above the second ends of the plurality of fuel cells; and the vaporizer is disposed above the second ends of the plurality of fuel cells.

6 . The hybrid device according to claim 1 , wherein
the electrolysis cell stack device comprises:
a first manifold that fixes the first ends of the plurality of electrolysis cells, and supplies the hydrogen-containing gas to the plurality of electrolysis cells; and
a second manifold that fixes the second ends of the plurality of electrolysis cells, and collects the hydrogen-containing gas generated by the plurality of electrolysis cells.

7 . The hybrid device according to claim 1 , wherein
the each electrolysis cell further comprises a second electrolysis cell gas-flow passage that extends from the first end to the second end; the electrolysis cell stack device comprises:
a first manifold that fixes the first ends of the plurality of electrolysis cells; and
a second manifold that fixes the second ends of the plurality of electrolysis cells;
the first manifold comprises:
a supplier to which the water vapor-containing gas is supplied; and
a collector collects the hydrogen-containing gas; and
at least a portion of the hydrogen-containing gas supplied to the supplier flows through the first electrolysis cell gas-flow passage to the second manifold and flows through the second electrolysis cell gas-flow passage to the collector.

8 . The hybrid device according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of fuel cells are configured to combust an excess hydrogen-containing gas not used in power generation above the second ends of the plurality of fuel cells; and a reformer is disposed near the second ends of the plurality of fuel cells, the reformer reforming a raw fuel to generate the hydrogen-containing gas to be supplied to the plurality of fuel cells.

9 . The hybrid device according to claim 1 , wherein
the fuel cell stack device further comprises:
a manifold that fixes the first ends of the plurality of fuel cells; and
a fuel supply pipe connected to the manifold, the fuel supply pipe supplying one of a raw fuel and the hydrogen-containing gas.

10 . A hybrid system comprising:
the hybrid device according to claim 8 ; and an auxiliary device for supplying one of an oxygen-containing gas and water vapor to the manifold of the fuel cell stack device.

11 . The hybrid system according to claim 10 , further comprising:
a temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of the fuel cell stack device; and a controller, the controller performing control so that, in an activation process, the auxiliary device is activated when a temperature measured by the temperature sensor reaches a first set temperature in a state where the raw fuel has been supplied to the manifold of the fuel cell stack device and the water vapor has not been supplied from the electrolysis cell stack device to the manifold of the fuel cell stack device.

12 . The hybrid system according to claim 11 , further comprising:
a fuel supply device for externally supplying one of the raw fuel and the hydrogen-containing gas to one of the reformer and the manifold of the fuel cell stack device; the controller performing control so that the fuel supply device is deactivated when an amount of the hydrogen-containing gas supplied from the electrolysis cell stack device to the manifold of the fuel cell stack device is greater than or equal to a predetermined amount.

13 . A hybrid system comprising:
the hybrid device according to claim 8 ; and a controller performing control so that, in a deactivation process of the hybrid device, after a supply of current to an external load of the fuel cell stack device is stopped, a supply of current to the electrolysis cell stack device and a supply of water to the vaporizer are stopped after a temperature of the fuel cells decreases to a predetermined temperature or less.

Assignees

• Kyocera Corp

Inventors

• Ono Takashi
• Shiraishi Shinpei
• Takahashi Naruto
• Uchi Kazutaka

Classifications

• H01M2300/0074

  Ion conductive at high temperature · CPC title

• H01M8/2484

  characterised by external manifolds · CPC title

• H01M8/0656 Primary

  by electrochemical means (H01M8/065 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M8/04225

  during start-up · CPC title

• H01M8/2425

  High-temperature cells with solid electrolytes · CPC title