Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Tomoya Takeuchi

Kunihiro Ukai

Kiyoshi Taguchi

Seiji Fujihara

Yuji Mukai

Hiroshi Tatsui

Shigeki Yasuda

Chie Harada

Yutaka Yoshida

A hydrogen generation apparatus () includes: a reformer () configured to generate a hydrogen-containing gas by using a raw material and steam; a raw material passage () through which the raw material that is supplied to the reformer () flows; a hydrodesulfurizer () provided downstream from a most downstream valve () on the raw material passage () and configured to remove a sulfur compound from the raw material; a sealer () provided on a passage () downstream from the reformer () and configured to block communication between the reformer () and the atmosphere; and a depressurizer () provided on the raw material passage () at a portion connecting the hydrodesulfurizer () and the reformer () and configured to release, to the atmosphere, pressure in the reformer () that has increased after the sealer () is closed.

Hydrogen generation apparatus and fuel cell system

A hydrogen generator includes: a desulfurizer including a desulfurization catalyst that removes a sulfur compound in a raw material by a desulfurization reaction, the desulfurization catalyst being arranged so as to be heated by a first heat source; a reformer configured to generate a hydrogen-containing gas using the raw material having flowed through the desulfurizer; a first temperature detector configured to detect a temperature of a predetermined portion of the desulfurization catalyst; a second temperature detector configured to detect the temperature of a portion of the desulfurization catalyst, the portion being located such that a distance between the portion and the first heat source is longer than a distance between the predetermined portion and the first heat source; and a controller configured to control an operation of heating the desulfurization catalyst by the first heat source, based on detection results of the first temperature detector and the second temperature detector.

Hydrogen generator and fuel cell system including same

A fuel cell system includes: a reformer configured to generate a hydrogen-containing gas through a reforming reaction by using a raw material and steam; a raw material supply device configured to supply the raw material to the reformer; a steam supply device configured to supply the steam to the reformer; a temperature detector configured to detect a temperature of the reformer; a fuel cell configured to generate electric power by using the hydrogen-containing gas; a combustor configured to combust the hydrogen-containing gas discharged from the fuel cell to heat the reformer; and a controller configured to, while controlling the raw material supply device such that the temperature detected by the temperature detector becomes a target temperature, control the steam supply device such that a change rate of a steam supply amount to the reformer becomes less than a change rate of a raw material supply amount to the reformer.

Fuel cell system and method of operating the same

A hydrogen generation apparatus () includes: a reformer () configured to generate a hydrogen-containing gas by causing a reforming reaction of a raw material; a combustor () configured to heat the reformer; and a controller () configured to set a controlled temperature of the reformer to a first temperature when an oxygen concentration in the raw material is in a first state where the oxygen concentration is relatively low, and change the controlled temperature of the reformer to a second temperature higher than the first temperature when the oxygen concentration in the raw material is in a second state where the oxygen concentration is relatively higher than the oxygen concentration in the first state.

Hydrogen generation apparatus, fuel cell system, and method of operating the same

A hydrogen generation apparatus and a fuel cell system including: a reformer () configured to generate a hydrogen-containing gas by causing a reforming reaction of a raw material; a hydrodesulfurizer () configured to remove a sulfur compound from the raw material; an adsorption desulfurizer () configured to remove a sulfur compound from the raw material; a first raw material passage () through which the raw material that is supplied to the reformer not through the adsorption desulfurizer but through the hydrodesulfurizer flows; a second raw material passage () through which the raw material that is supplied to the reformer through the adsorption desulfurizer flows; a switch () configured to switch, between the first raw material passage and the second raw material passage, a raw material flowing passage through which the raw material flows; and a controller () configured such that when the reformer is generating the hydrogen-containing gas, the controller sets the raw material flowing passage to the first raw material passage by means of the switch if an oxygen concentration in the raw material is in a first state where the oxygen concentration is relatively low, and the controller sets the raw material flowing passage to the second raw material passage by means of the switch if the oxygen concentration in the raw material is in a second state where the oxygen concentration is relatively high.

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Osaka, Japan

Tomoya Takeuchi