Fuel cell module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016204453-A1
Application number	US-201514984119-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 30, 2015
Priority date	Jan 9, 2015
Publication date	Jul 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A fuel cell module includes a fuel cell stack, a reformer, and an exhaust gas combustor. The fuel cell module further includes an exhaust gas combustion chamber equipped with the exhaust gas combustor and a preheating unit for heating a raw fuel by combustion exhaust gas produced in the exhaust gas combustor before the raw fuel is supplied to the reformer. The preheating unit forms one surface of the exhaust gas combustion chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A fuel cell module comprising:
a fuel cell stack comprising a plurality of fuel cells stacked, the fuel cells being configured to generate electrical energy by electrochemical reactions of a fuel gas and an oxygen-containing gas; a reformer configured to reform a raw fuel chiefly containing hydrocarbon to thereby produce the fuel gas supplied to the fuel cell stack; and an exhaust gas combustor configured to combust the fuel gas discharged from the fuel cell stack as a fuel exhaust gas and the oxygen-containing gas discharged from the fuel cell stack as an oxygen-containing exhaust gas to thereby produce a combustion exhaust gas, wherein the fuel cell module further comprises: an exhaust gas combustion chamber equipped with the exhaust gas combustor; and a preheating unit configured to heat the raw fuel by the combustion exhaust gas produced in the exhaust gas combustor before the raw fuel is supplied to the reformer, and the preheating unit forms one surface of the exhaust gas combustion chamber.

2 . The fuel cell module according to claim 1 , wherein the exhaust gas combustion chamber has a cubic shape or a rectangular parallelepiped shape;
the fuel cell stack and the preheating unit are provided respectively on opposite sides of the exhaust gas combustion chamber; and the reformer is provided in a substantially U-shape along side surfaces of the exhaust gas combustion chamber.

3 . The fuel cell module according to claim 2 , wherein the fuel cell stack and the preheating unit are provided respectively above and below the exhaust gas combustion chamber; and
the preheating unit forms a lower surface as the one surface of the exhaust gas combustion chamber.

4 . The fuel cell module according to claim 1 , wherein the preheating unit includes a casing member; and
a spiral-shaped fuel gas preheating passage is formed by a partition plate in the casing member.

5 . The fuel cell module according to claim 4 , wherein the exhaust gas combustor has an exhaust gas discharge port provided at an upper position of the exhaust gas combustion chamber, the exhaust gas discharge port being configured to discharge the fuel exhaust gas and the oxygen-containing exhaust gas; and
a central portion of the spiral-shaped fuel gas preheating passage is positioned immediately below the exhaust gas discharge port.

6 . The fuel cell according to claim 1 , further comprising an evaporator configured to evaporate water to produce water vapor, and supply the water vapor to the reformer; and
the evaporator is provided upstream of the preheating unit in a flow direction of the raw fuel.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kanao Yukihisa
• Yoshimine Yuki
• Ogawa Tetsuya

Classifications

• H01M8/04201

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

• H01M2008/1293

  Fuel cells with solid oxide electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/04022

  Heating by combustion · CPC title

• H01M2300/0077

  based on zirconium oxide · CPC title

• H01M8/0618

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