Toto Ltd.

Yousuke Akagi

Naoki Watanabe

Shuichiro Saigan

Nobuo Isaka

Takuya Matsuo

Katsuhisa Tsuchiya

Toshiharu Otsuka

Toshiya Abe

Takeshi Saito

Toshiharu Ooe

Shuhei Tanaka

Takuya Hoshiko

Yasuo Kakinuma

Koji Omoshiki

Megumi Shimazu

Chihiro Kobayashi

Fumio Tsuboi

Akira Ishiguro

Mitsunobu Shiono

Hajime Omura

Isaka Nobuo

A solid oxide fuel cell apparatushas: multiple fuel cell units; a module casehousing multiple fuel cell units; a heat insulating materialdisposed to cover the area around the module case; a reformerfor reforming raw fuel gas using steam, thereby producing fuel gas; a combustion chamberfor combusting residual fuel gas and heating the reformer; a heat exchangerfor exchanging heat between oxidant gas and exhaust gas; and a steam generator, disposed within the heat insulating materialand on the outside of the module case, for exchanging heat between exhaust gas and water immediately after heat is exchanged in the heat exchanger, thereby producing steam.

Solid oxide fuel cell apparatus

To provide a solid oxide fuel cell system capable of avoiding the reduction of air electrodes. The present invention is a solid oxide fuel cell system including: a fuel cell module, a fuel supply apparatus, a water supply apparatus, an oxidant gas supply apparatus, a reformer, and a control section for controlling the extraction of power, whereby the controller having a shutdown stop circuit for executing a shutdown stop when the fuel cell stack is above the predetermined temperature, and after a shutdown stop, during a period when pressure on the fuel electrode side is sufficiently higher than pressure on the air electrode side, and no reverse flow of oxidant gas to the fuel electrode side is occurring, a temperature drop operation is executed whereby high temperature oxidant gas remaining on the oxidant gas electrode side is discharged.

Solid oxide fuel cell system

To provide a fuel cell device capable of extending the years of service life of a reformer by suppressing thermal runaways. The present invention is a solid oxide fuel cell device, including a fuel cell module having fuel cell units; a reformer disposed above the fuel cell units, for producing hydrogen by a partial oxidation reforming reaction and a steam reforming reaction; a vaporizing chamber disposed adjacent to the reformer; a combustion chamber for heating the vaporization chamber; a water supply device; an electrical generation oxidant gas supply device; and a controller for raising the fuel cell units to a temperature at which electrical generation is possible; whereby over the entire period of the startup step, the reforming oxidant gas supply device and water supply device are controlled so that partial oxidation reforming reactions do not occur independently in the reformer.

Solid oxide fuel cell device

To provide a fuel cell device capable of extending the years of service life of a reformer by suppressing thermal runaways. The present invention is a solid oxide fuel cell device, including a fuel cell module having multiple fuel cell units; a reformer disposed above the fuel cell units, for producing hydrogen by a partial oxidation reforming reaction and a steam reforming reaction; a vaporizing chamber disposed adjacent to the reformer; a combustion chamber for heating the vaporization chamber; a water supply device; a supply device for oxidant gas for electrical generation; and a controller for raising the fuel cell unit to a temperature at which electrical generation is possible; wherein fuel electrodes in each individual fuel cell unit are constituted to act as catalysts for a shift reaction, and the controller executes only the ATR step and SR step in the reformer.

To provide a solid oxide fuel cell system with which the durable lifespan of the reformer can be extended by suppressing temperature unevenness in the reformer. The present invention is a solid oxide fuel cell, including a fuel cell module, a reformer for producing hydrogen by POX, ATR, and SR steps; a fuel supply apparatus, a reform air supply apparatus, a water supply apparatus, a generating air supply apparatus, and a control device which, as the temperature inside the fuel cell module rises, executes in sequence POX, ATR and SR steps at predetermined respective temperature bands, and causes a rise in temperature at which electrical generation is possible; wherein the control device comprises a localized temperature rise suppression circuit which, by causing steam reforming to occur locally within the reformer in the POX step, suppresses localized temperature rises in the reformer.

The present invention comprises fuel cellsdisposed within a fuel cell module, a reformer, a reformer temperature sensorfor detecting a reforming state temperature, and a control sectionfor controlling the operation of the fuel cell module. The control section prohibits the normal startup POX and executes a restart control different from the normal startup POX when the reforming state temperature is at least in a high temperature region within the POX temperature band in a state in which the operation of the solid oxide fuel cell module is stopped.

Solid oxide fuel cell system performing different restart operations depending on operation temperature

The fuel cell assembly of the present invention comprises a first fuel cell, a second fuel cell disposed adjacent to the first fuel cell, and a current collector for electrically connecting the first fuel cell and the second fuel cell. The first fuel cell and the second fuel cell are respectively furnished with an electrical generating portion for generating electricity, each of the electrical generation portion having a first electrode through the interior of which a first gas flows, a second electrode of a polarity different from the first electrode, on the exterior of which a second gas flows, and an electrolyte disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The current collector distributes and sources the current generated in the first fuel cell generating portion from two different locations on the first electrode on the first fuel cell to the second electrode of the second fuel cell.

Fuel cell assembly and fuel cell device with current collector between fuel cells

The present invention comprises individual fuel cellsdisposed within a fuel cell module; a reformer; a reformer temperature sensorand generating chamber temperature sensorfor detecting the reforming state temperature inside the reformer, and a control sectionfor controlling the fuel cell module operation. In a state whereby a stopping of fuel cell module operation has been executed from a high temperature, this control section skips the normal startup ATR and executes a restart control by the SR when the reforming state temperature is within the normal startup ATR temperature band and a restart of operation has been executed.

To provide a solid oxide fuel cell device capable of smooth transition from a startup state to an electrical generating state. The present invention is a solid oxide fuel cell device () for generating electricity, having a fuel cell module (); a reformer () for reforming fuel, heated by the combustion of remaining fuel not used in the generation of electricity; a fuel supply means (); a water supply means (); an electrical generation oxidant gas supply means (); and a control means () for controlling the fuel supply means and water supply means at the time of startup when the solid oxide fuel cell units are raised to a temperature at which electrical generation is possible; wherein the control means controls the fuel supply means during the SR operation such that electrical generation is started after reducing the fuel supply flow rate prior to starting electrical generation.

A fuel cell includes plural single cells and first sidewalls disposed on the outer side of a cell stack including the plural single cells. In the first sidewalls, holes for supplying the reactive gas to the cell stack are formed. The single cells are disposed in a row shape along a jetting direction (lateral direction) of the reactive gas jetted from the holes. The holes are formed such that a part of the reactive gas jetted from the holes brushes against at least the single cells disposed in positions closest to the first sidewalls and the remaining part of the reactive gas does not brush against the single cells disposed in the closest positions.

Fuel cell with flow channel member for supplying reactive gas

The present invention comprises fuel cellsdisposed within a fuel cell module; a reformer, a reformer temperature sensorfor detecting the temperature of the reformer; and a control sectionfor controlling the operation of a fuel cell module. When a restart of operation is executed in a state whereby stopping of the operation of the fuel cell module is being executed, the normal startup POX is skipped and restart by the ATR is executed, at least within a high temperature region within the POX temperature band, even if the reforming state temperature (Tr, Ts) is within the normal startup POX temperature band W

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Chigasaki, Japan

Yousuke Akagi