Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha

The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.

Toshio Shinoki

Mitsuie Matsumura

Tetsuya Yagi

Tatsunori Okada

Masahiro Mukai

Yasuhira Kikuoka

Jitsuji Otsuki

Akira Kusunoki

Shuichi Matsumoto

Akira Sasaki

The invention has an object to provide a fuel cell power generating system with a simple system configuration, excellent in reliability and cooling ability, and permitting high power density operation. At least two internal reforming type fuel cell apparatuses are connected in series in the flow direction of a fuel gas via a methanator to ensure a flow rate of the fuel gas supplied to each fuel cell apparatus, sufficient to ensure cooling of the cells, thus eliminating the necessity of a high-temperature circulating blower or a high-temperature piping for a fuel gas, which are both expensive. Furthermore, it is possible to use the fuel gas repeatedly as a cooling gas under the effect of the methanator. It is also possible to largely improve the cooling performance of cells through internal reforming cooling, without the use of an expensive fuel gas circulating blower.

Fuel cell power generating system and operating method thereof

A bipolar plate is designed to provide a gas seal 16 around an electrode and gas seals 17a around fuel gas manifolds on the same plane and to separate the gas seal 16 and gas seals 17a around oxidant gas manifolds 4, 6 with hollowed parts on an anode electrode 25 side, and to provide the gas seal 16 and the gas seals 17b on a same plane and to separate the gas seal 16 and the gas seals 17a with hollowed parts on a cathode electrode 20 side. Also disclosed are sealing parts for the fuel side and the oxidant side of the fuel cell.

Fuel cell and sealing parts therefore

A reforming reactor includes a reforming chamber for reforming a reaction gas containing hydrocarbon or alcohol to a combustion gas containing hydrogen by a reforming reaction, a plurality of gas flow passages disposed in the reforming chamber for guiding the reaction gas from an inlet side toward an outlet side thereof, and reforming blocks provided in a plurality of predetermined sections of each of the gas flow passages and containing reforming catalysts with which the reaction gas flowing through the gas flow passages is brought into contact.

Reforming reactor

A bipolar plate is designed to provide a gas seal 16 around an electrode and gas seals 17a around fuel gas manifolds on the same plane and to separate the gas seal 16 and gas seals 17a around oxidant gas manifolds 4, 6 with hollowed parts on an anode electrode 25 side, and to provide the gas seal 16 and the gas seals 17b on a same plane and to separate the gas seal 16 and the gas seals 17a with hollowed parts on a cathode electrode 20 side.

Fuel cell and its bipolar plate

An apparatus for measuring the flow rate of water vapor in a process gas including steam includes a sample system having a dew point meter and a pressure meter, and an inert gas supply device for mixing an inert gas with a process gas in the sample system. The process gas comprises a first gas, such as natural gas, and steam. A partial pressure calculating unit calculates the partial pressure of the water vapor contained in the gas mixture on the basis of the dew point of the mixture measured by the dew point meter and the pressure measured by the pressure meter. A flow rate calculating unit calculates the flow rate of the steam contained in the process gas on the basis of the water vapor partial pressure, the inert gas flow rate, and the flow rate of the first gas in the process gas.

Growing community of inventors

Hyogo, Japan

Toshio Shinoki