Fuel cell power plant
AssigneeNissan Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorsMasatoshi Iio, Yasukazu Iwasaki
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The hydrogen permeating to a post-separation side (11B) of the membrane hydrogen separator (11) is supplied to an anode chamber (2A) of a fuel cell stack (2) via a hydrogen supply passage (25). A hydrogen recirculation passage (8) recirculates hydrogen from the anode chamber (2A) to the post-separation side (11B). When the hydrogen partial pressure on the post-separation side (11B) increases, air is introduced into the hydrogen recirculation passage (8) from an intake valve (30). When the hydrogen partial pressure decreases, gas in the hydrogen recirculation passage (8) is discharged from an exhaust valve (60). The rate of hydrogen permeation through the membrane hydrogen separator (11) is thereby maintained to a preferred level.
Claims11
A fuel cell power plant comprising:
- a fuel cell stack comprising an anode chamber and a cathode chamber, the fuel cell stack generating power by a reaction of hydrogen supplied to the anode chamber and air supplied to the cathode chamber;
- a membrane hydrogen separator having a pre-separation side facing a reformate gas and a post-separation side, the membrane hydrogen separator allows hydrogen in the reformate gas to permeate from the pre-separation side to the post-separation side;
- a hydrogen supply passage which supplies hydrogen at the post-separation side of the membrane hydrogen separator to the anode chamber;
- an anode effluent recirculation passage which recirculates anode effluent discharged from the anode chamber to the post-separation side of the membrane hydrogen separator;
- an intake valve which introduces part of the air supplied to the cathode chamber to the anode effluent recirculation passage;
- and
- a discharge valve which discharges gas from the anode effluent recirculation passage.
A fuel cell power plant comprising:
- a fuel cell stack comprising an anode chamber and a cathode chamber, the fuel cell stack generating power by a reaction of hydrogen supplied to the anode chamber and air supplied to the cathode chamber;
- a membrane hydrogen separator having a pre-separation side facing a reformate gas and a post-separation side, the membrane hydrogen separator allows hydrogen in the reformate gas to permeate from the pre-separation side to the post-separation side;
- a hydrogen supply passage which supplies hydrogen at the post-separation side of the membrane hydrogen separator to the anode chamber;
- an anode effluent recirculation passage which recirculates anode effluent discharged from the anode chamber to the post-separation side of the membrane hydrogen separator;
- a combustor which combusts the reformate gas;
- an intake valve which introduces combusted gas from the combustor into the hydrogen supply passage;
- and
- a discharge valve which discharges gas from the anode effluent recirculation passage.
A fuel cell power plant comprising:
- a fuel cell stack comprising an anode chamber and a cathode chamber, the fuel cell stack generating power by a reaction of hydrogen supplied to the anode chamber and air supplied to the cathode chamber;
- a membrane hydrogen separator having a pre-separation side facing a reformate gas and a post-separation side, the membrane hydrogen separator allows hydrogen in the reformate gas to permeate from the pre-separation side to the post-separation side;
- a hydrogen supply passage which supplies hydrogen at the post-separation side of the membrane hydrogen separator to the anode chamber;
- an anode effluent recirculation passage which recirculates anode effluent discharged from the anode chamber to the post-separation side of the membrane hydrogen separator;
- an intake valve which introduces part of a cathode effluent discharged from the cathode chamber to the anode effluent recirculation passage;
- and
- a discharge valve which discharges gas from the anode effluent recirculation passage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.