FUEL CELL SYSTEM

• US 20180019488A1
• Filed: 07/03/2017
• Published: 01/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: AOKI, Masakazu, YAMAUCHI, Takafumi, HIROTA, Yasuki, IWATA, Ryuichi
• Granted Patent: US 10,483,571 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2008/1095 Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04029 Heat exchange using liquids
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04089 of gaseous reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04201 Reactant storage and supply, e.g. means for feeding, pipes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04216 characterised by the choice for a specific material, e.g. carbon, hydride, absorbent
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04291 Arrangements for managing water in solid electrolyte fuel cell systems H01M8/04119 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04328 of anode reactants at the inlet or inside the fuel cell
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04365 of other components of a fuel cell or fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04373 of auxiliary devices, e.g. reformers, compressors, burners
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04753 of fuel cell reactants
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

A fuel cell system includes: a plurality of reactor vessels containing a hydrogen storage material; a hydrogen tank storing a hydrogen gas; a fuel cell; a cooling device to dissipate exhaust heat from the reactor vessels or the fuel cell to the outside; a hydrogen gas line that can switch supply routes of the hydrogen gas among the reactor vessels, the hydrogen tank, and the fuel cell; a heat exchange line that can switch circulation routes of a heat exchange medium among the reactor vessels, the fuel cell, and the cooling device; and a control mechanism to switch the supply routes of the hydrogen gas and the circulation routes of the heat exchange medium.

Claims

1. A fuel cell system, comprising:

a plurality of reactor vessels containing a hydrogen storage material;

a hydrogen tank storing a hydrogen gas;

a fuel cell;

a cooling device to dissipate exhaust heat from the reactor vessels or the fuel cell to the outside;

a hydrogen gas line that can switch supply routes of the hydrogen gas among the reactor vessels, the hydrogen tank, and the fuel cell;

a heat exchange line that can switch circulation routes of a heat exchange medium among the reactor vessels, the fuel cell, and the cooling device; and

a control mechanism to switch the supply routes of the hydrogen gas and the circulation routes of the heat exchange medium,

wherein the hydrogen gas line includes;

a supply route (A) to supply the hydrogen gas from the hydrogen tank to at least one of the reactor vessels;

a supply route (B) to supply the hydrogen gas from at least one of the reactor vessels to the fuel cell; and

a supply route (C) to supply the hydrogen gas from the hydrogen tank to the fuel cell, and

the heat exchange line includes;

a circulation route (A) to circulate the heat exchange medium between at least one of the reactor vessels and the cooling device;

circulation route (B) to circulate the heat exchange medium between at least one of the reactor vessels and the fuel cell; and

a circulation route (C) to circulate the heat exchange medium between the fuel cell and the cooling device.

2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1,

wherein the fuel cell system further comprises a temperature measurement unit to measure temperatures of the reactor vessels and the fuel cell, and

the control mechanism includes a judgment unit to switch the supply routes of the hydrogen gas and the circulation routes of the heat exchange medium on the basis of the temperatures measured by the temperature measurement unit.

3. The fuel cell system according to claim 1,

wherein the control mechanism includes a switching unit (A), and

the switching unit (A) is a unit of switching the supply routes of the hydrogen gas and the circulation routes of the heat exchange medium so that

a hydrogen desorption process of circulating the heat exchange medium between the fuel cell and a reactor vessel (A) and supplying the hydrogen gas from the reactor vessel (A) to the fuel cell, and

a hydrogen absorption process of supplying the hydrogen gas from the hydrogen tank to a reactor vessel (B) (B is different from A) and circulating the heat exchange medium between the reactor vessel (B) and the cooling device may be carried out simultaneously or individually.

4. The fuel cell system according to claim 1,

wherein the control mechanism includes a switching unit (B), and

the switching unit (B) is a unit of alternately repeating:

a process of simultaneously carrying out a set of hydrogen desorption from a reactor vessel (A) and heat exchange between the fuel cell and the reactor vessel (A), and a set of hydrogen absorption to a reactor vessel (B) (B is different from A) and heat exchange between the reactor vessel (B) and the cooling device; and

a process of simultaneously carrying out a set of hydrogen desorption from the reactor vessel (B) and heat exchange between the fuel cell and the reactor vessel (B), and a set of hydrogen absorption to the reactor vessel (A) and heat exchange between the reactor vessel (A) and the cooling device.

5. The fuel cell system according to claim 1,

wherein the control mechanism includes a switching unit (C), and

the switching unit (C) is a unit of switching the supply routes of the hydrogen gas and the circulation routes of the heat exchange medium so that

a process of circulating the heat exchange medium between the fuel cell and a reactor vessel (C) and supplying the hydrogen gas from the reactor vessel (C) to the fuel cell, and

a process of supplying the hydrogen gas from the hydrogen tank to the reactor vessel (C) and circulating the heat exchange medium between the reactor vessel (C) and the cooling device may be repeated alternately.

6. The fuel cell system according to claim 1,

wherein the fuel cell system further comprises a boiler to store water produced in the fuel cell and boil the produced water by exchanging heat with the heat exchange medium, and

the boiler is connected to the circulation route (A).

7. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the hydrogen storage material includes a material having an equilibrium temperature when a hydrogen pressure is 0.1 MPa not higher than the maximum exhaust heat temperature of the fuel cell.

8. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the hydrogen storage material includes a material having an equilibrium temperature when a hydrogen pressure is 10 MPa higher than the maximum exhaust heat temperature of the fuel cell.