Power generation plant including fuel cell

• US 5,248,567 A
• Filed: 12/23/1992
• Issued: 09/28/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Satoshi, Nagata, Yuji, Takahashi, Motohiro, Funatsu, Tetsuya, Akiyoshi, Masahiro, Amemiya, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Skapars, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US07/996,084
• Time in Patent Office: 279 Days
• Field of Search: 429/19, 429/20, 429/26, 429/17, 429/13, 429/34
• US Class Current: 429/413
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0233 the reforming step being a steam reforming step
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0288 containing two CO-shift steps
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/066 with fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0816 Heating by flames
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0822 the fuel containing hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0827 at least part of the fuel being a recycle stream
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/384 the catalyst being continuously externally heated
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/48 followed by reaction of water vapour with carbon monoxide
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0258 characterised by the configuration of channels, e.g. by the flow field of the reactant or coolant
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0267 having heating or cooling means, e.g. heaters or coolant flow channels
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04231 Purging of the reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0612 from carbon-containing material
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/10 Process efficiency

Abstract

A fuel cell power plant comprised of a fuel cell main unit to which a fuel is supplied, a containment vessel for housing the fuel cell main unit; a purge gas supply pipe for introducing a purge gas which excludes combustion elements in the containment vessel; and a combustion element removal apparatus which is provided with the purge gas supply pipe and which effectively removes combustion elements in the purge gas before the purge gas is introduced in the containment vessel. The fuel call power plant may include a fuel reformer having at least a reforming space, and may use a reformed fuel gas or a used fuel gas as the purge gas from which the combustion elements are removed. The fuel reformer may include a burner for a reforming reaction, and in this case, the power plant may use a burner exhaust gas as the purge gas from which the combustion elements are removed. The combustion elements mainly include oxygen and reactive carbon which are removed from the purge gas before being supplied to the containment vessel.

Claims

1. A fuel cell power plant comprising:

a fuel cell main unit to which a fuel is supplied;

a containment vessel for housing said fuel cell main unit;

a purge gas supply pipe for introducing a purge gas which excludes combustion elements in said containment vessel; and

combustion element removal means, provided with said purge gas supply pipe, for effectively removing combustion elements in said purge gas before said purge gas is introduced in said containment vessel.

2. The fuel cell power plant of claim 1:

wherein said combustion elements include oxygen, and said combustion element removal means comprises oxygen removal means which is provided along said purge gas supply pipe.

3. The fuel cell power plant of claim 2:

wherein said oxygen removal means comprises oxygen adsorption means in which an adsorbent agent to remove said oxygen by an adsorption with said oxygen.

4. The fuel cell power plant of claim 2:

wherein said oxygen removal means comprises combustor means for removing said oxygen which is included in said purge gas by means of a consumption of said oxygen by a combustion.

5. The fuel cell power plant of claim 4:

further comprising a dehumidifier which is provided along said purge gas supply pipe and dehumidifies said purge gas to supply dehumidified purge gas to said containment vessel.

6. The fuel cell power plant of claim 4:

wherein said combustor means comprises a catalytic combuster in which a catalyst is filled to hasten a reaction in said combustion for removing said oxygen included in said purge gas.

7. The fuel cell power plant according to claim 6:

further comprising a dehumidifier which is provided along said purge gas supply pipe and dehumidifies said purge gas to supply dehumidified purge gas to said containment vessel.

8. The fuel cell power plant according to claim 1:

wherein said fuel cell power plant comprises

a fuel reformer including at least a reforming space in which said fuel is reformed as a reformed fuel gas before being supplied to an anode space of said fuel cell main unit ;

a fuel gas supply pipe for supplying said reformed fuel gas from said reforming space to said anode space of said fuel cell main unit;

a gas separation apparatus which is provided to said fuel gas supply pipe and separates a carbon dioxide gas included in said reformed fuel gas; and

a purge gas supply pipe for connecting said gas separation apparatus and said containment vessel in order to supply as said purge gas said carbon dioxide gas which is separated by said gas separation apparatus, into said containment vessel.

9. The fuel cell power plant according to claim 1:

wherein said fuel cell power plant comprises

a fuel reformer including at least a reforming space in which said fuel is reformed as a reformed fuel gas before being supplied to an anode space of said fuel cell main unit;

a used fuel gas exhaust pipe for exhausting from said fuel cell main unit a used fuel gas which is generated after said reformed fuel gas is supplied to anode space of said fuel cell main unit and is used for a power generation;

a gas separation apparatus which is provided to said used fuel gas exhaust pipe and separates a carbon dioxide gas included in said used fuel gas; and

a purge gas supply pipe for connecting said gas separation apparatus and said containment vessel in order to supply as said purge gas said carbon dioxide gas which is separated by said gas separation apparatus, into said containment vessel.

10. The fuel cell power plant according to claim 1:

wherein said fuel cell power plant further comprises a fuel reformer including at least a reforming space in which said fuel is reformed before being supplied to an anode space of said fuel cell main unit, and a burner which supplies heat for a reforming reaction in said reforming space;

and wherein said purge gas supply pipe connects said burner and said containment vessel to use as said purge gas a burner exhaust gas which is exhausted from said burner.

11. The fuel cell power plant according to claim 10:

further comprising a dehumidifier which is provided along said purge gas supply pipe and dehumidifies said purge gas to supply dehumidified purge gas to said containment vessel.

12. The fuel cell power plant according to claim 10:

wherein said combustion elements include oxygen, and said combustion element removal means comprises oxygen removal means which is provided along said purge gas supply pipe.

13. The fuel cell power plant according to claim 12:

further comprising a dehumidifier which is provided along said purge gas supply pipe and dehumidifies said purge gas to supply dehumidified purge gas to said containment vessel.

14. The fuel cell power plant according to claim 12:

wherein said oxygen removal means comprises oxygen adsorption means in which an adsorbent agent to remove said oxygen by an adsorption with said oxygen.

15. The fuel cell power plant according to claim 14:

further comprising a dehumidifier which is provided along said purge gas supply pipe and dehumidifies said purge gas to supply dehumidified purge gas to said containment vessel.

16. The fuel cell power plant according to claim 14:

wherein said oxygen removal means comprises combustor means for removing said oxygen which is included in said purge gas by means of a consumption of said oxygen by a combustion.

17. The fuel cell power plant according to claim 16:

further comprising a dehumidifier which is provided along said purge gas supply pipe and dehumidifies said purge gas to supply dehumidified purge gas to said containment vessel.

18. The fuel cell power plant according to claim 16:

wherein said combustor means comprises a catalytic combuster in which a catalyst is filled to hasten a reaction in said combustion for removing said oxygen in said purge gas from said burner.

19. The fuel cell power plant according to claim 18:

further comprising a dehumidifier which is provided along said purge gas supply pipe and dehumidifies said purge gas to supply dehumidified purge gas to said containment vessel.

20. The fuel cell power plant according to claim 1:

wherein said fuel cell power plant comprises

a fuel reformer including at least a reforming space in which said fuel is reformed as a reformed fuel gas before being supplied to an anode electrode space of said fuel cell main unit, and a burner which supplies heat for a reforming reaction in said reforming space;

a gas separation apparatus for separating a carbon dioxide gas which is included in a burner exhaust gas which is generated by burning in said burner; and

a purge gas supply pipe for connecting said gas separation apparatus and said containment vessel to supply as said purge gas said carbon dioxide gas which is separated by said gas separation apparatus, to said containment vessel.

21. The fuel cell power plant according to claim 20:

further comprising a dehumidifier which is provided along said purge gas supply pipe and dehumidifies said purge gas to supply dehumidified purge gas to said containment vessel.

22. The fuel cell power plant according to claim 1:

wherein said fuel cell power plant further comprises

a fuel reformer including at least a reforming space in which said fuel is reformed as a reformed fuel gas before being supplied to an anode space of said fuel cell main unit, and a burner which supplies heat for a reforming reaction in said reforming space;

a fuel gas supply pipe for supplying said reformed fuel gas from said reforming space to an anode space of said fuel cell main unit; and

a catalytic combustor which combusts a burner exhaust gas exhausted from said burner and said reformed fuel gas supplied from said reforming space so as to supply as said purge gas a combustion gas to said purge gas supply pipe.

23. The fuel cell power plant according to claim 22:

further comprising a dehumidifier which is provided along said purge gas supply pipe and dehumidifies said purge gas to supply dehumidified purge gas to said containment vessel.

24. The fuel cell power plant according to claim 1:

wherein said fuel cell power plant further comprises

a fuel reformer including at least a reforming space in which said fuel is reformed as a reformed fuel gas before being supplied to an anode space of said fuel cell main unit;

a fuel gas supply pipe for supplying said reformed fuel gas from said reforming space to said anode electrode space of said fuel cell main unit;

an oxygen agent gas supply source for supplying an oxygen agent gas to said fuel cell power plant; and

a catalytic combustor which combusts said reformed fuel gas and said oxygen agent gas to generate said purge gas so as to supply said purge gas to said purge gas supply pipe.

25. The fuel cell power plant according to claim 24:

further comprising a dehumidifier which is provided along said purge gas supply pipe and dehumidifies said purge gas to supply dehumidified purge gas to said containment vessel.

26. The fuel cell power plant according to claim 1:

wherein said fuel cell power plant further comprises an oxygen removal apparatus which removes oxygen in the air to supply said air removed oxygen to said containment vessel; and

said air from which oxygen is removed, is supplied as said purge gas to said containment vessel through said purge gas supply pipe.