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US 2015/0147669 A1Published application
Fuel cell module
AssigneeHonda Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorYuki Yoshimine
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fuel cell module includes a first area where an exhaust gas combustor and a start-up combustor are provided, an annular second area around the first area where a heat exchanger is provided, an annular third area around the second area where a reformer is provided, an annular fourth area around the third area where an evaporator is provided. A plurality of heat exchange pipes are provided in the heat exchanger around a first partition plate. At least one of the heat exchange pipes has at least one constricted portion.
Claims9
A fuel cell module comprising:
- a fuel cell stack formed by stacking a plurality of fuel cells for generating electricity by electrochemical reactions of a fuel gas and an oxygen-containing gas;
- a reformer for reforming a mixed gas of water vapor and a raw fuel chiefly containing hydrocarbon to produce the fuel gas supplied to the fuel cell stack;
- an evaporator for evaporating water, and supplying the water vapor to the reformer;
- a heat exchanger for raising a temperature of the oxygen-containing gas by heat exchange with a combustion gas, and supplying the oxygen-containing gas to the fuel cell stack;
- an exhaust gas combustor for combusting the fuel gas discharged from the fuel cell stack as a fuel exhaust gas and the oxygen-containing gas discharged from the fuel cell stack as an oxygen-containing exhaust gas to produce the combustion gas;
- and
- a start-up combustor for combusting the raw fuel and the oxygen-containing gas to produce the combustion gas,
- wherein the fuel cell module includes:
- a first area where the exhaust gas combustor and the start-up combustor are provided;
- an annular second area around the first area where one of the reformer and the heat exchanger is provided;
- an annular third area around the second area where another of the reformer and the heat exchanger is provided;
- and
- an annular fourth area around the third area where the evaporator is provided;
- and wherein the heat exchanger includes an annular oxygen-containing gas supply chamber to which the oxygen-containing gas is supplied, an annular oxygen-containing gas discharge chamber to which the heated oxygen-containing gas is discharged, a plurality of heat exchange pipes connected to the oxygen-containing gas supply chamber at one end, and connected to the oxygen-containing gas discharge chamber at another end, and a combustion gas channel for supplying the combustion gas to a space between the heat exchange pipes;
- and
- at least one of the heat exchange pipes includes at least one portion where a pipe diameter is changed or a pipe cross sectional area is changed.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.