Panasonic Corporation

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Shigeki Yasuda

Kunihiro Ukai

Kiyoshi Taguchi

Yoshio Tamura

Akinori Yukimasa

Junji Morita

Yoshikazu Tanaka

Hiroshi Tatsui

Atsutaka Inoue

Hideo Ohara

Masataka Ozeki

Akinari Nakamura

Akira Maenishi

Takashi Nishikawa

Takayuki Urata

Hiroki Fujioka

Hidetoshi Wakamatsu

Naohisa Tanabe

Koichi Kusumura

Hiroaki Kaneko

Naoki Muro

Tomoya Takeuchi

Susumu Hatano

Shigeru Iiyama

Takanori Shimada

Tomonori Aso

Hiroki Ogura

Yoichi Midorikawa

Satoru Narita

Yuuji Mukai

Nakamura Akinari

Yasuaki Shimada

A power generation system according to the present invention includes: a fuel cell unit including a fuel cell, a hydrogen generator having a first combustor, and a case; a controller; a combustion unit including a second combustor; and a discharge passage formed to cause the case and the combustion unit to communicate with each other. In a case where the controller causes one of the first combustor and the second combustor to perform the ignition operation, the controller maintains an operating state of the other combustor during the period of the ignition operation of the one combustor.

Power generation system and method of operating the same

Provided are a fuel cell system capable of shortening the wait time of an observer who confirms set points of a system interconnection protective device before starting a system interconnection operation, and a method for operating the fuel cell system. A fuel cell systemincludes: a hydrogen generating unitconfigured to generate a hydrogen-containing gas by using a raw material; a heaterconfigured to heat the hydrogen generating unit; an electric power generation start command unitconfigured to receive a command of start of an electric power generating operation of the fuel cell system, the command being input by a manual operation of an operator, the electric power generating operation being interconnected with an electric power system; and a controllerconfigured to: execute electric power generation stand-by, in which the fuel cell system stands by for the start of the electric power generating operation interconnected with the electric power system, while executing a temperature maintaining process of the hydrogen generating unit by the heater after completion of a temperature increasing process of the hydrogen generating unit by the heater; and when the electric power generation start command unit receives the command of the start of the electric power generating operation, stop the electric power generation stand-by and start the electric power generating operation interconnected with the electric power system.

Fuel cell system and method for operating the same

A power generation system of the present invention includes: a fuel cell unit () including a fuel cell () and a case (); a controller (); a combustion unit () provided outside the case () and configured to combust a combustible gas to supply heat; and a discharge passage () configured to cause the fuel cell unit () and the combustion unit () to communicate with each other, wherein in a case where an exhaust gas is being discharged to the discharge passage () from one of the fuel cell unit () and the combustion unit () and the controller () changes the flow rate of the exhaust gas discharged from the other unit, the controller () controls at least the flow rate of the exhaust gas discharged from the other unit such that the flow rate of the exhaust gas discharged from the one unit becomes constant.

A power generation system has a power generation unit (), a casing () accommodating the power generation unit (), a ventilator () configured to ventilate the interior of the casing (), and a first exhaust gas passage () configured to pass therethrough an exhaust gas from the ventilator () which is discharged out of the casing (). The first exhaust gas passage () merges with a second exhaust gas passage () connected to a duct () open to outside air before the second exhaust gas passage () is connected to the duct (), the second exhaust gas passage () being configured to pass a combustion exhaust gas from a combustion device () configured to generate heat to be supplied to a heat load.

A power generation system of the present invention comprises: a power generation unit (); a casing () that accommodates the power generation unit (); a ventilator () that ventilates the interior of the casing (); a first gas flow passage (), arranged inside the casing (), for a flow therethrough of gas which flows as the ventilator () operates; and a second gas flow passage (), arranged inside the casing (), for a flow therethrough of combustion exhaust gas from the power generation unit (), wherein within the casing (), the second gas flow passage () merges into the first gas flow passage ().

Power generation system

A fuel cell system () of the present invention comprises a fuel cell (); a water circulating path () through which water associated with an operation of the fuel cell () circulates; a water circulator () for circulating water in the water circulating path (); a heater () for heating the water circulating path (); a first abnormality detector () for detecting a first abnormality which is an abnormality relating to leakage of water from the water circulating path (); and a controller (); the fuel cell system being configured to cause the water circulator () to perform a water circulating operation for circulating the water in the water circulating path () and cause the heater () to perform a heating operation for heating the water circulating path (), to suppress freezing in the water circulating path, wherein the controller () is configured to inhibit the water circulating operation for suppressing freezing and not to inhibit the heating operation for suppressing freezing, in a case where the fuel cell system () is shut down in response to detection of the first abnormality by the first abnormality detector ().

Fuel cell system

A fuel cell system of the present invention comprises a fuel cell (); a first heat medium path through which a first heat medium for cooling the fuel cell () flows; a first flow control device () configured to flow the first heat medium in the first heat medium path; an abnormality detector configured to detect an abnormality; and a controller () configured to control the first flow control device () such that the fuel cell () after shut-down of power generation is cooled with a higher rate in an abnormal shut-down process performed after the abnormality detector detects the abnormality, than in a normal shut-down process.

Fuel cell system for performing normal and abnormal shut-down processes

A fuel cell system (A) comprises a casing () having a suction port () through which air is introduced from outside into an internal space thereof; a fuel cell () accommodated within the casing () and configured to generate electric power through an electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas and an oxidizing gas; an air supply unit () of a diaphragm type disposed within the casing () and configured to take in the air introduced through the suction port () and supply the air to the fuel cell (); and a heating unit () disposed within the casing () and configured to heat the air in a space from the suction port () to the air supply unit ().

A hydrogen generator includes: a reformer () configured to generate a hydrogen-containing gas by a reforming reaction using a raw material; a combustor () configured to heat the reformer; an air supplying device () configured to supply combustion air to the combustor; a first heat exchanger () configured to recover heat from a flue gas discharged from the combustor; a first heat medium passage () through which a first heat medium flows, the first heat medium receiving the heat recovered from the flue gas in the first heat exchanger; a first pump () configured to cause the first heat medium in the first heat medium passage to flow; a heat accumulator () configured to store the heat recovered by the first heat medium; and a controller () configured to cause the first pump to operate in a cooling step that is a step of cooling down at least the reformer by supplying the air from the air supplying device to the combustor in a state where the combustor is not carrying out combustion during a stop processing

Hydrogen generator and fuel cell system including same

A fuel cell system () includes: a hydrogen generator () including a reformer (); a combustor () configured to supply heat to the reformer (); a fuel cell (); a first channel (); a second channel (); a third channel () through which an oxidation gas flows, the oxidation gas being supplied to the first channel () extending between a branch portion () and the fuel cell (); a first on-off valve () provided on the first channel () located downstream of a meeting portion (); a second on-off valve () provided on the second channel (); an oxidation gas supply unit () provided on the third channel (); and a controller () configured such that when the first on-off valve () is closed and the second on-off valve () is opened, and a hydrogen-containing gas is discharged from the hydrogen generator () at the time of start-up, the controller () activates the oxidation gas supply unit () to supply the oxidation gas through the third channel () to the first channel () located downstream of the branch portion ().

Fuel cell system and method of operating fuel cell system

A hydrogen generator of the present invention includes a reformer () for generating a hydrogen-containing gas through a reforming reaction using a raw material; a combustor () for heating the reformer (); a combustion air supplier () for supplying combustion air to the combustor (); and an abnormality detector () for detecting an abnormality; and a controller () configured to control the combustion air supplier () such that the reformer () is cooled with a higher rate in an abnormal shut-down process executed after the abnormality detector () detects the abnormality, than in a normal shut-down process.

Hydrogen generator and fuel cell system comprising the same

A hydrogen generator of the present invention includes: a reformer () including a reforming catalyst (A) containing nickel and configured to generate a hydrogen-rich fuel gas by using a raw material and steam; a temperature detector () configured to detect a temperature of the reforming catalyst (A); a purge gas supplying device () configured to supply a purge gas to the reformer (); and a controller (). When the temperature detected by the temperature detector () is a first predetermined temperature or higher, the controller () purges the reformer () with the purge gas supplied from the purge gas supplying device ().

Hydrogen generator and method for operating the same

A fuel cell system of the present invention includes: a hydrogen generator () having a reformer () configured to generate a hydrogen-containing gas by a reforming reaction using a raw material; a fuel cell () configured to generate electric power using the hydrogen-containing gas supplied from the hydrogen generator (); a combustor () configured to combust an anode off gas discharged from the fuel cell () to heat the reformer (); a CO detector () configured to detect a carbon monoxide concentration of a flue gas discharged from the combustor (); an electric heater () configured to heat the CO detector (); and a controller (), and the controller () is configured to increase an amount of energization to the electric heater () in accordance with an increase in an amount of electric power generated by the fuel cell ().

Fuel cell system with co detector

A fuel cell system of the present invention includes a fuel cell (); a water passage (); an electric heater () configured to heat the water passage; a water-related temperature detector (); a first abnormality detector (, etc.) configured to detect first abnormalities; a second abnormality detector (, etc.) configured to detect second abnormalities; and a controller (), and the controller is configured to stop an operation of the fuel cell system when the first abnormality is detected by the first abnormality detector or when the second abnormality is detected by the second abnormality detector. In a case where the fuel cell system stops since the second abnormality is detected by the second abnormality detector, the controller causes the electric heater () to carry out an operation as an antifreezing operation when the water-related temperature detector detects a temperature that is not more than a predetermined threshold. In a case where the fuel cell system stops since the first abnormality is detected by the first abnormality detector, the controller does not cause the electric heater () to carry out the operation as the antifreezing operation even when the water-related temperature detector detects the temperature that is not more than the predetermined threshold.

A hydrogen generating apparatus including a reformer which performs a reforming reaction using a material and steam to generate hydrogen-containing gas; a water evaporator which generates the steam supplied to the reformer; a first water pathway through which reforming water to be supplied to the water evaporator flows; a pump which supplies the reforming water to the water evaporator; a second water pathwaybranching from the first water pathway on the downstream side of the pump; a first water tank to which the water flowing through the second water pathway flows; a first flow rate controller provided on the second water pathway; and a controller which operates the pump and controls the first flow rate controller so that water flows through the second water pathway, thereby stably generating hydrogen and preventing degradation of the reformer thereof is realized.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Shigeki Yasuda