JP2010212038A - Fuel cell - Google Patents

Abstract

In a fuel cell in which a reformer and a cell stack are integrally disposed in a casing, a technique for improving the temperature distribution of the cell stack during operation is provided.
A fuel cell includes two vaporization units (212, 214) and a reforming unit (250). The two vaporization parts 212 and 214 are respectively arranged above the cell stacks 100 and 110 arranged in parallel so that the side surfaces along the arrangement direction of the fuel cells 120 face each other. The raw fuel gas is generated by heating the raw fuel and water using the reaction heat of the combustion reaction between the fuel gas and the oxidizing gas in the upper part. The reforming unit 250 is disposed between the two cell stacks 100 and 110, receives heat from the two cell stacks 100 and 110, and converts the raw fuel gas supplied from the two vaporization units 212 and 214 into steam reforming. To produce fuel gas.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell.

  Some fuel cells are supplied with a hydrogen-containing gas (fuel gas) obtained by a hydrocarbon reforming reaction, and generate electricity by an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. Among fuel cells, solid oxide fuel cells generate power at a relatively high temperature (for example, 600 ° C. or higher). Therefore, waste heat generated by the power generation of the fuel cell is used to heat a reformer for performing a reforming reaction. May be used. Up to now, a reformer and a cell in which a plurality of fuel battery cells are arranged with a current collecting member interposed therebetween in order to improve the utilization efficiency of the exhaust heat of the fuel battery and to realize downsizing of the fuel battery There has been proposed a solid oxide fuel cell in which a stack is integrally disposed in a casing (Patent Document 1 and the like).

  By the way, during power generation of the fuel cell, the temperature distribution in the cell stack may become non-uniform. Then, for example, a solid oxide fuel cell has the following problems. That is, in the relatively high temperature region of the cell stack, the oxidation of the surface of the current collecting member for collecting generated electricity is promoted, so that the resistance of the current collecting member in the region increases. In addition, a part of the composition constituting the current collecting member in the region is scattered and attached to the electrode on the cathode side of the fuel cell, and the possibility that the electrode is deteriorated increases. Until now, in the fuel cell in which the reformer and the cell stack as described above are integrally disposed in the casing, sufficient contrivance has not been made to make the temperature distribution of the operating cell stack substantially uniform. It was the actual situation.

JP 2006-331881 A JP 2007-59377 A JP 2003-317746 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for improving a temperature distribution of a cell stack during operation in a fuel cell in which a reformer and a cell stack are integrally arranged.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms or application examples.

[Application Example 1]
While vaporizing water introduced from the outside and raising the temperature of the raw fuel introduced from the outside to generate raw fuel gas containing water vapor, the raw fuel gas supplied from the vaporizer is steamed A plurality of cell stacks formed by arranging a reformer having a reforming unit that reforms to generate fuel gas, and a plurality of fuel cells provided with gas flow paths for guiding the fuel gas upward And a housing for housing the reformer and the plurality of cell stacks, wherein the plurality of cell stacks are arranged in parallel so that side portions along the arrangement direction of the fuel cells face each other And a combustion part for combusting the fuel gas that has not been consumed by an electrochemical reaction of the fuel cell is provided at an upper end of each of the plurality of cell stacks. Placed above the section Together are, the reformer is disposed between the cell stack adjacent the fuel cell.
According to the fuel cell configured to use the raw fuel after steam reforming, during the operation, the reformer including the vaporization unit and the reforming unit uses heat from the combustion unit and the cell stack for the reforming reaction. To do. In addition, since the steam reforming reaction, which is a kind of reforming reaction, is an endothermic reaction, the vaporization unit that vaporizes water introduced from the outside and the reforming unit that performs steam reforming are used as cooling units inside the fuel cell. Also works. Therefore, the reformer and the cell stack are integrally disposed in the casing, and in the miniaturized fuel cell, the temperature distribution of the cell stack during operation can be improved.

[Application Example 2]
The fuel cell according to Application Example 1, wherein the vaporization unit is disposed above the plurality of cell stacks so as to correspond to each of the plurality of cell stacks.
According to this fuel cell, since the vaporization portion is provided for each of the plurality of cell stacks, the temperature at the upper end portion of the cell stack is prevented from becoming extremely high due to heat absorption due to the vaporization of water in the vaporization portion. can do. Moreover, it can suppress that the operating temperature nonuniformity arises between each cell stack. Therefore, in the fuel cell in which the reformer and the cell stack are integrally disposed in the housing, the temperature distribution in the vertical direction of the cell stack during operation can be improved.

[Application Example 3]
The fuel cell according to Application Example 1 or Application Example 2, wherein the reforming unit is located between the adjacent cell stacks and approximately at the center in the arrangement direction of the fuel cell cells from above the cell stack. A fuel cell that hangs down.
According to this fuel cell, in a cell stack in which the temperature during operation is generally relatively high, a substantially central region in the arrangement direction of the fuel cell is cooled by a reforming unit that performs steam reforming, which is an endothermic reaction. Can do. Moreover, the area | region of the upper end part side of the cell stack which becomes comparatively high temperature with the heat | fever of a combustion part can be cooled by the modification part. Therefore, in the fuel cell in which the reformer and the cell stack are integrally disposed in the casing and reduced in size, the temperature distribution in the arrangement direction of the fuel cells in the cell stack during operation can be improved.

[Application Example 4]
The fuel cell according to Application Example 3, wherein the cell stack adjacent to the cell stack and the vaporization unit disposed above the two cell stacks and corresponding to each of the two cell stacks. A fuel cell in which a plurality of sets are arranged, with the reforming unit arranged between two adjacent cell stacks as one set.
According to this fuel cell, the two adjacent cell stacks, the vaporization portion disposed corresponding to each of the two cell stacks above the two adjacent cell stacks, and the two adjacent cell stacks A set of the reforming sections arranged between them is taken as one set. That is, in this fuel cell, one reforming unit is arranged for each set of cell stacks. Therefore, each set of cell stacks can be evenly cooled, and the vaporization unit, the reforming unit, and the cell stack are integrally disposed in the casing, and in the miniaturized fuel cell, the cell stack during operation is reduced. The temperature distribution can be improved.

[Application Example 5]
The fuel cell according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 4, wherein the fuel gas is disposed in the casing below the plurality of cell stacks, and the fuel gas is disposed in the gas flow path of the fuel cell. And a fuel gas pipe connecting the fuel gas manifold part and the reforming part, and the fuel gas pipe passes through substantially the center between the adjacent cell stacks. A fuel cell.
According to this fuel cell, since the fuel gas that has flowed into the fuel gas pipe receives the heat of each of the adjacent cell stacks, it is possible to suppress the temperature from decreasing before reaching the fuel gas manifold portion. Accordingly, since the high-temperature fuel gas can be supplied to the fuel gas manifold, the temperature on the lower end side of the fuel cell constituting the cell stack can be increased, and the temperature in the vertical direction of the cell stack during operation can be increased. Distribution can be improved.

[Application Example 6]
The fuel cell according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 5, further comprising an exhaust gas passage for discharging exhaust gas from the combustion section, wherein at least a part of the vaporization section is in the exhaust gas passage. The fuel cell is arranged in the.
According to this fuel cell, the vaporization unit can utilize the heat of the exhaust gas in addition to the heat of the combustion unit and the cell stack. Further, the heat exchange area of the vaporization part is increased only in the region where the vaporization part is disposed in the exhaust gas flow path, and the cooling effect is improved. Therefore, the region on the upper end side of the operating cell stack can be cooled, and the vertical temperature distribution in the operating cell stack can be improved.

[Application Example 7]
The fuel cell according to any one of Application Example 1 to Application Example 6, wherein the fuel cell includes a second reforming unit connected between the vaporization unit and the reforming unit, and the second reforming unit. The fuel cell is disposed at a position above the combustion section and above the vaporization section.
According to this fuel cell, the reforming efficiency is improved by the addition of the second reforming section. Moreover, it can suppress that the operating temperature in the area | region of the upper end part side of a cell stack becomes very high with the cooling function of a 2nd modification part. Therefore, the temperature distribution in the vertical direction in the operating cell stack can be improved.

[Application Example 8]
The fuel cell according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 7, wherein the fuel cell includes a plurality of oxidizing gas pipes for supplying the oxidizing gas to each of the adjacent cell stacks. A fuel cell, which is disposed on both sides of the fuel cell in the arrangement direction of the fuel cell from the upper side of the casing and supplies the oxidizing gas from the lower side of the cell stack.
According to this fuel cell, the plurality of oxidizing gas pipes can guide the oxidizing gas from above to below while exchanging heat. Therefore, heat can be transferred from the upper end portion of the cell stack having a relatively high operating temperature to the lower end portion having a relatively low operating temperature, using the oxidizing gas as a heat medium. Each of the plurality of oxidizing gas pipes is provided on both sides in the fuel cell arrangement direction with respect to the reforming portion. Therefore, the heat transfer can be performed in the region where the operation temperature is relatively low, and the temperature distribution of the cell stack during operation can be further improved.

  The present invention can be realized in various forms, for example, in the form of a fuel cell, a fuel cell system including the fuel cell, a vehicle equipped with the fuel cell system, and the like. .

Schematic which shows the structure of the fuel cell in 1st Example. Schematic which shows the structure of the fuel cell in 1st Example. Schematic which shows the structure of the fuel cell in 1st Example. Schematic which shows the structure of a cell stack. (A) is a schematic perspective view which shows the structure of the reformer in 1st Example, (B) is a schematic sectional drawing in the BB cutting | disconnection of the reformer shown to (A). The schematic diagram for demonstrating the flow of raw fuel gas and fuel gas. Schematic for demonstrating the structure of the gas flow path for oxidizing gas and waste gas. The schematic perspective view for demonstrating the structure of an oxidizing gas duct, and the arrangement | positioning relationship between an oxidizing gas duct and a modifier. The schematic diagram for demonstrating the temperature distribution of the cell stack in the fuel cell in operation. Schematic which shows the structure of the fuel cell in 2nd Example. Schematic which shows the structure of the fuel cell in 2nd Example. Schematic which shows the structure of the fuel cell in 2nd Example. (A) is the schematic which shows the internal structure of a modification | reformation part, (B) is a schematic sectional drawing in the BB cutting | disconnection of the horizontal main-body part (vaporization part) shown to (A). Schematic which shows the structure of the fuel cell in 3rd Example. Schematic which shows the structure of the fuel cell in 3rd Example. Schematic which shows the structure of the fuel cell in 3rd Example. (A) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vaporization section shown in FIG. 16 taken along AA, (B1) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vaporization section shown in (A) taken along B1-B1, and (B2) is shown in (A). The schematic sectional drawing in B2-B2 cutting | disconnection of a vaporization part. Schematic which shows the structure of the fuel cell in 4th Example. Schematic which shows the structure of the fuel cell in 5th Example. Schematic which shows the structure of the fuel cell in 5th Example. Schematic which shows the structure of the fuel cell in 5th Example. Schematic which shows the structure of the fuel cell in 6th Example.

A. First embodiment:
1, 2, and 3 are schematic views showing the configuration of a fuel cell as an embodiment of the present invention. 1 to 3 are views when the fuel cell 1000 is viewed from different directions, and arrows x, y, and z indicating three-dimensional directions are shown so as to correspond to the respective drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of the fuel cell 1000. In FIG. 1, the direction indicated by the arrow y coincides with the depth direction of the paper surface, the arrow x indicates the right direction with respect to the paper surface, and the arrow z indicates the upward direction with respect to the paper surface. Note that the direction indicated by the arrow z is opposite to the direction of gravity. FIG. 2 is a right side view of the fuel cell 1000 viewed from the right side with respect to the paper surface of FIG. FIG. 3 is a top view when the fuel cell 1000 is viewed from above with respect to the paper surface of FIGS. 1 and 2.

  1 to 3, for convenience of explanation, the casing 500 of the fuel cell 1000 and a gas flow path (described later) provided in the casing 500 are illustrated by broken lines. In FIGS. The gas supply pipe 600 and the exhaust gas pipe 730 are not shown. Further, in FIG. 3, the fuel gas manifold section 300 and the floor heat insulating material 400 that are hatched in FIGS. 1 and 2 and illustrated by solid lines are illustrated by broken lines. Furthermore, in FIG. 3, the area | region where the two cell stacks 100 and 110 are arrange | positioned is shown with the dashed-dotted line.

  The fuel cell 1000 generates power by an electrochemical reaction between a hydrogen-containing gas (fuel gas) generated by reforming raw fuel supplied from the outside and an oxidizing gas (oxygen, air, etc.) supplied from the outside. A solid oxide fuel cell. The fuel cell 1000 includes a first cell and a second cell in which a plurality of fuel cells 120 are arranged in an internal space 550 of the housing 500 via current collecting members (not shown in FIGS. 1 to 3). The stacks 100 and 110 and the reformer 200 that reforms the raw fuel are integrally disposed.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the two cell stacks 100 and 110, and shows a cross section corresponding to the section 4-4 shown in FIG. FIG. 4 shows arrows x, y, z corresponding to the arrows x, y, z indicating the three-dimensional direction of FIG. Each fuel cell 120 constituting the two cell stacks 100 and 110 includes the solid electrolyte 10, the anode 21, the cathode 22, the support base 30, and the interconnector 40. A current collecting member 42 is disposed therebetween. More specifically, the anode 21 covers the first surface 31 and the two curved side surfaces 33 of the hollow plate-shaped support base material 30, and the solid electrolyte 10 covers the outer surface of the anode 21. Yes. The cathode 22 is disposed on the solid electrolyte 10 on the first surface 31 side of the support base 30. An interconnector 40 for collecting generated electricity is stacked on the second surface 32 of the support base 30. The interconnector 40 functions to separate and not mix the fuel gas and the oxidizing gas. Note that both end portions of the solid electrolyte 10 and both end portions of the anode 21 are joined to the interconnector 40.

  In each cell stack 100, 110, the cathode 22 and the current collecting member 42 of each fuel cell 120 are arranged so as to directly face each other, and each fuel cell 120 is electrically connected in series. A plurality of (four in the figure) gas flow path holes 36 for the fuel gas extending in the direction of the arrow z are provided inside the support base 30. The support base 30 is formed to be porous (for example, the porosity is about 10 to 50%) so that hydrogen can permeate from the inside of the gas flow path hole 36 to the anode 21. The current collecting member 42 has a hollow portion 43 inside thereof. The hollow portion 43 functions as a flow path for the oxidizing gas (described later).

  Here, a flat floor heat insulating material 400 and a flat plate-shaped fuel gas manifold section 300 are arranged at the bottom of the housing 500, but the two cell stacks 100 and 110 are fuel gas manifold sections. It is arrange | positioned on the upper surface of 300 (FIGS. 1-3). The two cell stacks 100 and 110 are arranged in parallel such that side portions along the arrangement direction of the fuel cells 120 face each other. The fuel gas manifold section 300 has a gas chamber 310 into which fuel gas flows, and the gas chamber 310 and the gas flow path hole 36 of each fuel cell 120 are connected.

  FIG. 5A is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the reformer 200. FIG. 5A shows arrows x, y, z corresponding to the arrows x, y, z indicating the three-dimensional direction of FIG. The reformer 200 includes first and second horizontal main bodies 212 and 214 having a substantially quadrangular prism shape extending in the arrow y direction (arrangement direction of the fuel cells 120), and the arrow z direction (fuel cells 120). And a vertical main body 250 having a substantially quadrangular prism shape extending along the longitudinal direction. The first and second horizontal main bodies 212 and 214 have substantially the same size, and are arranged in parallel in the direction of the arrow x. The vertical main body 250 has an upper surface of the vertical main body 250 and an upper surface of the first and second horizontal main bodies 212 and 214 at a substantially central position between the first and second horizontal main bodies 212 and 214. Are arranged so as to have substantially the same height. The vertical main body 250 and the horizontal main bodies 212 and 214 are fixed by a connecting pipe 231. That is, in the reformer 200, the two horizontal main body portions 212 and 214 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the vertical main body portion 250, and the vertical main body portion 250 extends in the direction of gravity from between the two horizontal main body portions 212 and 214. It is a suspended structure. A fuel gas pipe 260 is connected to the bottom surface side of the vertical main body 250. The fuel gas pipe 260 is a substantially L-shaped pipe, extends from the bottom surface side of the reforming section 250 in the direction of the arrow y (one end side in the cell stacks 100 and 110), and then bends at a substantially right angle. Is connected to the fuel gas manifold section 300.

Each of the two horizontal main bodies 212 and 214 has water on the front side (front side in the drawing) used for the reforming reaction (steam reforming) of the raw fuel and the raw fuel from the outside of the fuel cell 1000 (hereinafter referred to as “water vapor reforming”). A raw material introduction pipe 233 for introducing “reforming water” is provided. In this reformer 200, the two horizontal main bodies 212 and 214 vaporize the reforming water and raise the raw fuel to a temperature suitable for the reforming reaction to generate raw fuel gas containing water vapor. It functions as a vaporizing part. Hereinafter, the first and second horizontal main body portions 212 and 214 are also referred to as “first vaporization portion 212” and “second vaporization portion 214”, respectively. In the fuel cell 1000 of the present embodiment, a methane (CH ₄ ) -containing gas such as city gas is used as the raw fuel. Hereinafter, a raw material used for reforming including raw fuel and reforming water is simply referred to as “raw material”.

  The vertical main body 250 functions as a reforming unit that generates hydrogen by steam reforming using raw fuel gas containing steam that has been heated and supplied from the two vaporization units 212 and 214. Hereinafter, the vertical main body 250 is also referred to as a “reformer 250”. A ruthenium-based catalyst, a nickel-based catalyst, or the like is disposed inside the reforming unit 250, and the reforming reaction of the raw fuel gas supplied to the reforming unit 250 is promoted.

  FIG. 5B is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a cross section of the reformer 200 in the BB cutting shown in FIG. 5A, and the internal structure of the first vaporization section 212 is schematically shown. . FIG. 5B shows arrows x, y, z corresponding to the arrows x, y, z indicating the three-dimensional direction of FIG. 5A, and the first cell stack 100 is a fuel cell. A broken line is shown at a position similar to the arrangement position at 1000. In addition, since the internal structure of the 2nd vaporization part 214 is the same as that of the 1st vaporization part 212, illustration and description are abbreviate | omitted.

The first vaporization section 212 has internal spaces 221 and 225 that are partitioned into upper and lower layers by a partition wall 223. The raw material introduction pipe 233 is connected to an internal space 221 (hereinafter referred to as “lower layer chamber 221”) on the lower side in the gravity direction. The lower layer chamber 221 communicates with an internal space 225 on the upper side in the direction of gravity (hereinafter referred to as “upper layer chamber 225”) on the end side opposite to the connection portion with the raw material introduction pipe 233. The upper chamber 225 is connected to a connecting pipe 231 that communicates with the reforming unit 250. With this configuration, the raw material supplied from the raw material introduction pipe 233 passes through the lower layer chamber 221, flows into the upper layer chamber 225, and is supplied to the reforming unit 250 through the connection pipe 231. The lower chamber 221 and the upper chamber 225 may be filled with ceramic balls such as Al ₂ O ₃ for raising the temperature of the raw fuel.

  By the way, as will be described later, the two vaporization units 212 and 214 raise and heat the raw material by using the reaction heat of the fuel gas below and the power generation reaction in the two cell stacks 100 and 110, respectively. . That is, the two vaporization units 212 and 214 are given heat from below. Therefore, in the first vaporization unit 212, the raw material can be sufficiently distributed in the lower layer chamber 221 by the above-described two-layer structure, and the temperature raising function is improved.

  The reformer 200 is fixedly disposed above the inside of the casing 500 by a support member (not shown) (FIGS. 1 to 3). Specifically, the two vaporization units 212 and 214 are respectively disposed above the two cell stacks 100 and 110, and the reforming unit 250 is disposed so as to hang down between the two cell stacks 100 and 110. . That is, the reforming unit 250 is arranged to hang from the upper side of the cell stacks 100 and 110. Incidentally, an oxidizing gas duct 640 (illustrated by a broken line) for supplying oxidizing gas to the two cell stacks 100 and 110 is provided in the housing 500 in the arrangement direction of the fuel cells 120 with respect to the reforming unit 250. It is provided on both sides. Therefore, in order to avoid contact with the oxidizing gas duct 640, the fuel gas pipe 260 is provided at a position closer to the right side direction (direction of the arrow x) than the center of the reforming section 250 (however, the cell stack). Passing through the middle between 100 and 110).

  Note that the length along the arrangement direction of the fuel cells 120 on the upper surfaces of the vaporization units 212 and 214 and the length in the arrangement direction of the fuel cells 120 in the cell stacks 100 and 110 are substantially the same. When viewed along the arrow z direction, the upper surfaces of the cell stacks 100 and 110 are covered by the bottom surfaces of the two vaporization units 212 and 214. In addition, the reforming unit 250 is located at a substantially central portion in the arrangement direction of the fuel cells 120 constituting each of the cell stacks 100 and 110 in the arrow y direction. Furthermore, the distance between the reforming unit 250 and each of the two cell stacks 100 and 110 is substantially equal (FIG. 1).

  FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining the flow of raw fuel gas and fuel gas in the fuel cell 1000. FIG. 6 is substantially the same as FIG. 1 except for the following points. That is, FIG. 6 does not show the components other than the reformer 200, the two cell stacks 100 and 110, and the fuel gas manifold section 300. Further, in FIG. 6, the internal structure of the two vaporization sections 212 and 214 and the gas flow path holes 36 provided in each fuel cell 120 are illustrated by broken lines, and arrows indicating the flow of the raw fuel gas and the fuel gas are added. Has been. FIG. 6 shows arrows x, y, z corresponding to the arrows x, y, z indicating the three-dimensional direction of FIG.

  The reforming unit 250 of the reformer 200 receives supply of the heated raw fuel gas from the two vaporization units 212 and 214 via the connection pipe 231, respectively. The fuel gas containing hydrogen generated by the steam reforming of the reforming unit 250 is supplied to the fuel gas manifold unit 300 via the fuel gas pipe 260. Further, the fuel gas is supplied from the gas chamber 310 of the fuel gas manifold unit 300 to the gas flow path holes 36 provided in the fuel battery cells 120 of the two cell stacks 100 and 110. The fuel gas supplied to the gas flow path hole 36 flows upward while being used for a power generation reaction in each fuel cell 120, and from the upper end portions of the two cell stacks 100 and 110, the two vaporization portions 212 and 214. It is discharged below.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the gas flow path for the oxidizing gas and the exhaust gas provided in the fuel cell 1000. FIG. 7 shows that the reformer 200 is indicated by a one-dot chain line, a case 500 and a gas flow path for oxidizing gas described later are indicated by a solid line, and a gas flow path for exhaust gas. 1 is substantially the same as FIG. 1 except that a broken line and an arrow indicating a gas flow are added.

  The housing 500 is a hollow box having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The casing 500 is provided with a flow path for oxidizing gas and a reaction in the fuel cell 120 by making each wall surface of the upper surface portion 510, the side surface portion 520, and the bottom surface portion 530 into a multiple structure. A flow path for the exhaust gas containing the combustion gas after burning the fuel gas without any gas is formed. Specifically, each flow path is formed as follows.

  The bottom surface portion 530 includes an outer wall 531 in contact with the outside world, a first partition 532 inside thereof, and a second partition 534 above the first partition 532. A bottom surface oxidizing gas chamber 610 is formed between the outer wall 531 and the first partition wall 532, which is a space into which the oxidizing gas flows, and between the first partition wall 532 and the second partition wall 534. An exhaust gas flow channel chamber 720, which is a space into which exhaust gas flows, is formed. An oxidizing gas supply pipe 600 and an exhaust gas pipe 730 are connected to the bottom surface oxidizing gas chamber 610 and the exhaust gas passage chamber 720, respectively. In addition, the fuel gas manifold unit 300 and the two cell stacks 100 and 110 are placed on the second partition wall 534 via the floor heat insulating material 400.

  The two side surface portions 520 located on the left and right sides of the housing 500 toward the paper surface each have an outer wall 521 in contact with the outside, a first partition 522 inside thereof, and a second partition 524 inside thereof. is doing. Between the outer wall 521 and the first partition 522, a side surface oxidizing gas flow path 620 that communicates with the bottom surface oxidizing gas chamber 610 is formed. Further, an exhaust gas passage 710 communicating with the exhaust gas passage chamber 720 is formed between the first partition 522 and the second partition 524.

  Note that the upper ends of the second partition walls 524 are arranged so as to be approximately the same height as the upper ends of the two cell stacks 100 and 110, and the exhaust gas flow path 710 communicates with the internal space 550 in the upper part. In addition, a part of the two vaporization units 212 and 214 protrudes from the internal space 550 to the upper side of the exhaust gas passage 710 beyond the second partition 524. A heat insulating material may be appropriately disposed between the second partition 524 and the two cell stacks 100 and 110, respectively. Note that this heat insulating material is an unreacted oxidation in which the oxidizing gas that has not been consumed in the power generation reaction flows out of the exhaust gas passage 710 without being used for combustion with the reformed gas in the combustion section described later. Plays a role in suppressing gas shortcuts. In addition, the heat insulation material has a shortage of unreacted oxidant gas, resulting in a local increase in air utilization, resulting in a decrease in the durability of the cell stack due to reduction of the cathode material due to the lack of oxidant gas. It also plays a role of suppressing

  The upper surface portion 510 has an outer wall 511 in contact with the outside and a partition wall 512 inside thereof, and an upper surface oxidizing gas chamber 630 that communicates with the side surface oxidizing gas channel 620 is formed between the outer wall 511 and the partition wall 512. Is formed. An oxidant gas duct 640 suspended from the internal space 550 (so as to extend between the cell stacks 100 and 110) is connected to substantially the center of the upper surface oxidant gas chamber 630 to supply the oxidant gas to the internal space 550. Yes.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view for explaining the configuration of the oxidizing gas duct 640 and the positional relationship between the oxidizing gas duct 640 and the reformer 200. FIG. 8 is substantially the same as FIG. 5A except that an oxidizing gas duct 640 is added. Further, the positional relationship between the oxidizing gas duct 640 and the reformer 200 illustrated in FIG. 8 is the same as the positional relationship between the two in the housing 500. Further, FIG. 8 shows an arrow indicating the flow of the oxidizing gas.

  The oxidizing gas duct 640 is a substantially “U” -shaped pipe opened upward. That is, the oxidizing gas duct 640 extends in the direction indicated by the arrow y (the arrangement direction of the fuel cells 120), and the first and second piping parts 641 extending in the direction of gravity. , 642 are connected to each other, and a third piping part 643 is connected. End portions of the first and second piping portions 641 and 642 are connected to the upper surface portion oxidizing gas chamber 630 of the housing 500, respectively. A reforming unit 250 of the reformer 200 is disposed between the first and second piping units 641 and 642, and a third piping unit 643 is located on the lower end side of the reforming unit 250. Accordingly, the plurality of oxidizing gas pipes 641 and 642 are arranged to hang from the upper side of the casing 500 on both sides of the reforming unit 250 in the arrangement direction of the fuel cells 120. In addition, each wall surface facing the two cell stacks 100 and 110 of the third piping portion 643 is provided with an opening 645 which is a through hole.

  Here, the flow of the oxidizing gas and the exhaust gas in the fuel cell 1000 will be described with reference to FIGS. The oxidizing gas that is an oxygen-containing gas is supplied from the outside of the fuel cell 1000 to the bottom surface oxidizing gas chamber 610 through the oxidizing gas supply pipe 600. The oxidizing gas in the bottom surface oxidizing gas chamber 610 flows into the top surface oxidizing gas chamber 630 via the side surface oxidizing gas channel 620. In the side portion oxidizing gas channel 620, the oxidizing gas is heated by exchanging heat with the exhaust gas in the exhaust gas channel 710. Further, in the upper surface portion oxidizing gas chamber 630, the oxidizing gas exchanges heat with the reformer 200 and the internal space 550, and is further heated. The oxidizing gas in the upper surface oxidizing gas chamber 630 flows into the oxidizing gas duct 640, flows in the direction of gravity, and flows out from the lower end side of each cell stack 100, 110 through the opening 645. Part of the oxidizing gas flowing out from the oxidizing gas duct 640 flows into the hollow portion 43 of the current collecting member 42 through the slits provided in the current collecting members 42 of the two cell stacks 100 and 110, and The inside flows from the bottom to the top. The oxidizing gas that has not flowed into the hollow portion 43 of the current collecting member 42 extends along the outer surfaces of the two cell stacks 100 and 110, the oxidizing gas duct 640, and the reforming portion 250 from the lower end side to the upper end. It flows to the club side.

  As described above, the fuel gas that has not been subjected to the power generation reaction flows out from the upper ends of the two cell stacks 100 and 110 (FIG. 6). That is, the fuel gas and the oxidizing gas that have not been subjected to the power generation reaction are between the upper end portions of the two cell stacks 100 and 110 and the bottom surfaces of the two vaporization portions 212 and 214 (referred to as “combustion portion”). ) And is ignited and burned by an ignition means (not shown). The two vaporization units 212 and 214 heat the raw fuel and the reforming water using the heat generated by the combustion reaction in the combustion unit. The exhaust gas after combustion flows into the exhaust gas passage 710 along the bottom, side and top surfaces of the two vaporization sections 212 and 214, flows into the exhaust gas passage chamber 720, and passes through the exhaust pipe 730. It is discharged outside.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining the temperature distribution of the first cell stack 100 in the fuel cell 1000 in operation. FIG. 9 schematically shows the first cell stack 100 when the fuel cell 1000 is viewed from the same direction as FIG. In FIG. 9, the position where the reformer 200 is disposed in the fuel cell 1000 is illustrated by a one-dot chain line, and the position where the oxidizing gas duct 640 is disposed is illustrated by a broken line. Note that the following description of the temperature distribution is the same for the second cell stack 110.

  In general, in a cell stack in which a plurality of fuel cells 120 are arranged, the operating temperature during operation tends to be higher at the center in the arrangement direction of the fuel cells 120. Accordingly, also in the first cell stack 100, the central portion in the arrangement direction of the fuel cells 120 becomes high temperature, and the end portion in the arrangement direction becomes low temperature. In the fuel cell 1000, the fuel gas and the oxidizing gas are burned between the upper end portion of the cell stack 100 and the vaporization unit 212. Therefore, in the first cell stack 100, the upper end portion side of the fuel cell 120 becomes high temperature. Specifically, in the first cell stack 100, there may be a variation in operating temperature in the range of 500 ° C. to 1100 ° C. during operation.

When the temperature distribution of the cell stack becomes nonuniform, in the relatively high temperature region of the first cell stack 100, some of the constituent members are oxidized on the surface of the interconnector 40 and the current collecting member 42 of each fuel cell 120. Generation of an oxide film (for example, a film such as chromium oxide (Cr ₂ O ₃ )) is promoted. Then, the contact resistance between the fuel battery cells 120 increases. Further, in this region, some of the constituent members (for example, Cr) of the interconnector 40 and the current collecting member 42 of each fuel battery cell 120 are scattered and attached to the cathode 22, causing deterioration of the cathode 22. End up. In general, the amount of power generation also increases in a region where the operating temperature is relatively high. Therefore, deterioration of the constituent members in the region may be promoted. As described above, when the temperature distribution in the first cell stack 100 becomes non-uniform, the deterioration of the region where the temperature is relatively high is locally promoted, which causes the deterioration of the fuel cell 1000.

  However, in this fuel cell 1000, the reforming portion 250 is provided so as to hang downward from above at approximately the center in the arrangement direction of the fuel cells 120 that is most likely to become the highest temperature in the first cell stack 100. Be placed. In general, the operating temperature of the reforming unit 250 is about 600 ° C., and the steam reforming reaction is an endothermic reaction. That is, the reforming unit 250 functions as a cooling unit for the first cell stack 100.

  In the fuel cell 1000, the first vaporization unit 212 is arranged above the first cell stack 100 along the arrangement direction of the fuel cells 120. The first vaporization unit 212 whose temperature during operation of the fuel cell 1000 is lower than that of the first cell stack 100 functions as a cooling unit for the first cell stack 100, and the cooling effect thereof is the first cell stack. It extends substantially uniformly along the arrangement direction of 100 fuel cells 120. That is, the first vaporization unit 212 can suppress local temperature rise at the upper end of the first cell stack 100.

  As described with reference to FIG. 5B, the first vaporization section 212 improves the flow characteristics of the raw fuel gas and the reforming water by the two-layer structure of the upper layer chamber 225 and the lower layer chamber 221, Raw fuel gas and reforming water are spread throughout the chamber 221. Thereby, in the first vaporization section 212, the temperature distribution in the lower layer chamber 221 is made more uniform, and the cooling effect on the upper end side along the arrangement direction of the fuel cells 120 of the first cell stack 100 is exerted. improves.

  Further, in this fuel cell 1000, the oxidizing gas flowing through the oxidizing gas duct 640 flows from the upper end side to the lower end side of the first cell stack 100 and flows out from the opening 645 toward the first cell stack 100. . Therefore, when the temperature distribution during operation of the first cell stack 100 becomes non-uniform in the vertical direction, the oxidizing gas transfers the heat on the upper end side of the first cell stack 100 to the lower end side. It functions as a heat transfer medium. That is, the oxidizing gas can alleviate non-uniformity in the operating temperature in the vertical direction of the first cell stack 100. In addition, since the temperature on the upper end side of the first cell stack 100 is lowered by the first vaporization unit 212, variation in temperature distribution in the vertical direction of the first cell stack 100 can be suppressed.

  Here, in the fuel cell 1000, two vaporization units 212 and 214 are disposed above the two cell stacks 100 and 110, respectively. Further, the two cell stacks 100 and 110 are arranged substantially symmetrically with the reforming section 250 and the oxidizing gas duct 640 interposed therebetween (FIG. 1). Therefore, the cooling effect by the two vaporization units 212 and 214 and the reforming unit 250 and the heating effect by the oxidizing gas duct 640 almost equally reach the first and second cell stacks 100 and 110, respectively. That is, the occurrence of variations in temperature distribution between the first and second cell stacks 100 and 110 is suppressed.

  Further, in the fuel cell 1000, the oxidizing gas and the fuel gas are supplied almost uniformly from the oxidizing gas duct 640 and the fuel gas manifold section 300 to the two cell stacks 100 and 110, respectively. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of variation in the operating temperature due to the non-uniform power generation amount between the two cell stacks 100 and 110 due to the difference in the amount of supplied gas.

  As described above, according to the fuel cell 1000, the arrangement of the reformer 200 and the oxidizing gas duct 640 can suppress the occurrence of variations in temperature distribution during operation in each of the cell stacks 100 and 110. In addition, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of variation in operating temperature between the cell stacks 100 and 110. That is, in the fuel cell 1000 in which the reformer 200 and the two cell stacks 100 and 110 are integrally disposed in the casing 500, the temperature distribution of the operating cell stacks 100 and 110 can be improved.

B. Second embodiment:
10, 11 and 12 are schematic views showing the structure of a fuel cell as a second embodiment of the present invention. 10 to 12, the configuration of the oxidizing gas duct 640 </ b> A and the reformer 200 </ b> A is different, the oxidizing gas duct 640 </ b> A is illustrated by a solid line and hatching, and the reforming unit 250 is illustrated by a broken line in FIG. 12. Except for this point, the configuration is almost the same as that shown in FIGS.

  In the reformer 200A of the fuel cell 1000A, a fuel gas pipe 260A connected to the reforming unit 250 linearly extends in the direction of gravity from the center of the bottom surface of the reforming unit 250, and the fuel gas manifold unit 300 and It is connected. In addition, the third piping portion 643 of the oxidizing gas duct 640A is provided with a through hole 646 for passing the fuel gas piping 260A. Thus, with this fuel gas pipe 260A, the reforming section 250 and the fuel gas manifold section 300 can be connected with the shortest distance, so that the temperature of the fuel gas (reformed gas) decreases in the fuel gas pipe 260A. Can be suppressed.

  In addition, the fuel gas pipe 260A is provided substantially at the center between the two cell stacks 100 and 110, and can receive heat from each of the two cell stacks 100 and 110. Furthermore, since the fuel gas pipe 260A is surrounded by the oxidizing gas duct 640, it can receive heat from the oxidizing gas heated above. That is, it is possible to raise the temperature of the fuel gas in the fuel gas pipe 260A. As described above, according to the fuel gas pipe 260A, since the temperature drop of the fuel gas supplied to the two cell stacks 100 and 110 is suppressed, the lower end of the fuel battery cell 120 constituting the two cell stacks 100 and 110 is suppressed. The fuel gas having a high temperature can be supplied to the section side, and the temperature distribution in the vertical direction in the operating cell stacks 100 and 110 is further improved.

  FIGS. 13A and 13B are schematic diagrams for explaining the internal configuration of the reforming unit 250. FIG. 13A shows the reformer 200 </ b> A when viewed from the same direction as FIG. 10, and shows the internal structure of a partial region A of the reforming unit 250. Inside the reforming section 250, a substantially spherical pellet catalyst 270 is enclosed as a catalyst for promoting the reforming reaction.

  Here, as a comparative example, a reforming section in which a pellet catalyst is sealed inside and the raw fuel gas flows in a substantially horizontal direction is assumed. The pellet catalyst may be pulverized and deposited in the direction of gravity due to aging. Then, in the reforming part of this comparative example, the amount of catalyst increases from the upper side of the gravity direction to the lower side due to the accumulation of the pulverized pellet catalyst, and the pressure loss of the raw fuel gas also increases. In this case, the flow rate of the raw fuel gas is relatively low in pressure loss and increases in the upper side in the gravitational direction where the amount of catalyst is small, which may reduce the reforming efficiency. However, in the reforming unit 250 of this embodiment, the raw fuel gas flows along the direction of gravity. Therefore, even when the pellet catalyst 270 is pulverized and deposited, the raw fuel gas flows toward the deposited layer, and thus the reduction in reforming efficiency is suppressed.

  FIG. 13B is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a cross section of the first vaporization section 212A in the BB cut shown in FIG. The two vaporizers 212A and 214A of the reformer 200A are the same as the two vaporizers 212 and 214 of the first embodiment except for the points described below, and have an upper layer chamber 225 and a lower layer chamber 221. It is a two-layer structure (FIG. 5B). FIG. 13B shows a cross section of the inside of the lower layer chamber 221 and the raw material introduction pipe 233A, and arrows indicating the flows of the raw fuel gas and the reforming water. The internal configuration of the second vaporization unit 214A is the same as that of the first vaporization unit 212A, and thus illustration and description thereof are omitted.

  The raw material introduction pipe 233A connected to the lower layer chamber 221 of the first vaporization section 212A has a double structure in which an inner pipe 233b having a relatively small diameter is inserted into an outer pipe 233a having a relatively large diameter. It is. The inner pipe 233b extends to the vicinity of the center along the arrangement direction of the fuel cells 120 in the lower layer chamber 221, and the outer pipe 233a extends to a position about half of the center.

  In the raw material introduction pipe 233A, the raw fuel gas flows between the outer pipe 233a and the inner pipe 233b, and the reforming water flows inside the inner pipe 233b. The inner pipe 233b has a slit (not shown) formed on the side surface of the portion exposed from the outer pipe 233a. The reforming water is supplied into the lower layer chamber 221 from the end of the inner pipe 233b and the slit. On the other hand, the raw fuel is supplied into the lower layer chamber 221 from the end of the outer pipe 233a located in front of the slit of the inner pipe 233b.

  That is, according to the raw material introduction pipe 233A, the reforming water having a relatively low diffusibility can be guided from the raw fuel gas having a relatively high diffusibility to the deeper position of the lower layer chamber 221. That is, the water distribution property of the reforming water in the lower layer chamber 221 is improved. Further, according to the raw material introduction pipe 233A, the reforming water can surely reach the vicinity of the center where the heating temperature is relatively high. Therefore, the vaporization efficiency of the reforming water can be improved, and further, the cooling effect on the first cell stack 100 which is a heat source can be improved.

  Thus, according to the fuel cell 1000A of the second embodiment, the temperature distribution of the cell stacks 100 and 110 during operation can be further improved.

C. Third embodiment:
14, 15, and 16 are schematic views showing the configuration of a fuel cell as a third embodiment of the present invention. 14 to 16, the configuration of the reformer 200B is different, the size of the exhaust gas flow path 710 is changed in accordance with the change of the configuration of the reformer 200B, and the oxidizing gas duct 640A is illustrated by a broken line. Except for this point, the configuration is almost the same as FIGS. In the reformer 200B of the third embodiment, the end portions 216 of the two vaporization portions 212B and 214B extend in the direction of gravity and extend to the inside of the exhaust gas flow path 710. This end portion 216 is hereinafter referred to as “extended vaporization portion 216”.

  FIGS. 17A, 17B, and 17B are schematic cross-sectional views showing the internal configuration of the first vaporization section 212B. FIG. 17A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the first vaporization section 212B in the AA cut shown in FIG. 16, and FIGS. 17B1 and 17B2 are respectively shown in FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing in B1-B1 cutting | disconnection and B2-B2 cutting | disconnection. FIGS. 17A, 17B, and 17B show arrows x, y, and z corresponding to the arrows x, y, and z shown in FIGS. 17A, 17B1 and 17B2 show arrows indicating the flow of raw fuel, reforming water and raw fuel gas. Further, FIG. 17A shows a part of the first cell stack 100 and a part of the partition wall 524 for forming the exhaust gas flow path 710. In addition, since the internal structure of the 2nd vaporization part 214B is the same as that of the 1st vaporization part 212B, the illustration and description are abbreviate | omitted.

  The first vaporization section 212B, like the first vaporization section 212A of the second embodiment, has a two-layer structure and includes a lower layer chamber 221 and an upper layer chamber 225, but a lower layer chamber 221 and an upper layer chamber. 225 is partitioned by a heat insulating plate 223B. The heat insulating plate 223 </ b> B extends to the extended vaporization portion 216, and an end portion thereof is joined to the partition wall 226. The partition wall 226 hangs down in the direction of gravity in the internal space of the extended vaporization unit 216, and divides the internal space of the extended vaporization unit 216 into two layers in the horizontal direction. Hereinafter, the internal space on the first cell stack 100 side of the extended vaporization unit 216 is referred to as “first internal space 216a”, and the internal space outside thereof is referred to as “second internal space 216b”. The first internal space 216 a is spatially continuous with the lower layer chamber 221, and the second internal space 216 b is spatially continuous with the upper layer chamber 225. The first and second internal spaces 216 a and 216 b communicate with each other at the lower end of the extended vaporization unit 216.

  In the first vaporization section 212B, the raw fuel and the reforming water supplied from the raw material introduction pipe 233A flow from the lower layer chamber 221 to the first internal space 216a, turn back at the lower end of the extended vaporization section 216, and the second Flows into the upper layer chamber 225 through the internal space 216b. In the first vaporization section 212B, the raw fuel and the reforming water are heated in the lower layer chamber 221 by using the reaction heat generated by the combustion reaction between the fuel gas and the oxidizing gas at the upper end of the first cell stack 100. . In addition, in the extended vaporization section 216, in addition to the reaction heat of the combustion reaction, the heat of the exhaust gas flowing to the exhaust gas flow path 710 is used to heat the raw fuel and the reforming water.

  Thus, in the first vaporization unit 212B, the area where heat exchange is performed is increased by the amount of the extended vaporization unit 216 provided. Therefore, the heating efficiency in the first vaporization unit 212B is improved, and the cooling effect of the first vaporization unit 212B on the first cell stack 100 is improved.

  Here, a catalyst for promoting the steam reforming reaction is disposed on the outlet side of the upper layer chamber 225 toward the reforming unit 250, that is, between the lower layer chamber 221 (vaporization unit) and the reforming unit 250. A catalyst region 272 (second reforming unit) is connected. As the catalyst, for example, a honeycomb catalyst may be used. That is, the first vaporization unit 212B also has a function as a reforming unit in which steam reforming is performed. The raw fuel gas that has not been used for the reforming reaction in the catalyst region 272 flows into the reforming unit 250 via the connection pipe 231 and is used for the reforming reaction in the reforming unit 250. Thus, the reforming efficiency in the reformer 200B is improved by the first vaporization unit 212B having a function as a reforming unit. Note that the catalyst region 272 may be omitted.

  Thus, according to the fuel cell 1000B of the third embodiment, the temperature distribution of the cell stack 110 during operation is further improved by the extended vaporization unit 216 provided in the two vaporization units 212B and 214B.

D. Fourth embodiment:
FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a fuel cell as a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 18 shows that the third and fourth cell stacks 130 and 140 are added, the reformer 200A and the oxidizing gas duct 640A are added one by one, and the casing 500 and the gas flow path are illustrated. 10 is substantially the same as FIG. 10 except that is omitted.

  In this fuel cell 1000C, four cell stacks 100, 110, 130, 140 are arranged in the internal space 550 of the same casing 500, and two vaporizations are provided above each cell stack 100, 110, 130, 140. One of the sections 212 and 214 is arranged. Further, the reforming unit 250 is disposed between the first and second cell stacks 100 and 110 and between the third and fourth cell stacks 130 and 140, respectively. That is, two adjacent cell stacks, a vaporizer disposed above each of the two cell stacks and corresponding to each of the two cell stacks, and a modification disposed between the two adjacent cell stacks Two sets are arranged in the housing 500, with the unit as one set. The four cell stacks 100, 110, 130, and 140 are mounted on the fuel gas manifold unit 300 in parallel in the direction of the arrow x. A heat insulating material may be disposed between the second and third cell stacks 110 and 130.

  Even in such a configuration, the temperature distribution during operation of each of the cell stacks 100, 110, 130, and 140 is improved by the reformer 200A and the oxidizing gas duct 640A as in the second embodiment.

E. Example 5:
19, 20 and 21 are schematic views showing the configuration of a fuel cell 1000D as a fifth embodiment of the present invention. 19 to 21 are the same as those in FIG. 10 except that the reformer 200D is provided instead of the reformer 200A and the size of the second piping part 642 of the oxidizing gas duct 640A is changed. ~ Almost the same as FIG. In FIG. 21, the portion functioning as the vaporizing section of the reformer 200 </ b> D and each pipe are hatched, and the portion functioning as the reforming section where the steam reforming is performed is cross-hatched. . FIG. 21 also shows arrows indicating the flow of raw fuel, raw fuel gas, and fuel gas.

  The reformer 200D of the fuel cell 1000D is the same as the reformer 200A of the second embodiment except for the points described below. In the reformer 200D of the fifth embodiment, the first and second horizontal main body portions 212D and 214D have a single-layer structure, and the rear end portions of the first and second horizontal main body portions 212D and 214D are The third horizontal main body 218 is connected. That is, the first to third main body portions 212D, 214D, and 218 have a substantially “U” shape opened to the front side when viewed along the direction of the arrow z. Further, the first horizontal main body portion 212D and the vertical main body portion 250 are not directly connected, and the vertical main body portion 250 is directly connected only to the second horizontal main body portion 214D by the connecting pipe 231D. It is connected. The connecting pipe 231 </ b> D has a substantially crank shape, and is connected to the front end (raw material supply side) of the second horizontal main body 214 </ b> D and the upper end of the vertical main body 250.

  With this configuration, the raw fuel and the reforming water supplied from the raw material introduction pipe 233 to the reformer 200D flow from the front side end portion to the back side end portion of the first horizontal main body portion 212D. It flows through the horizontal main body 218 to the second horizontal main body 214D. Further, the raw fuel gas (including fuel gas) flows from the rear side end portion of the second horizontal main body portion 214D to the front side end portion, and then flows to the upper end portion side of the vertical main body portion 250 through the connecting pipe 231D. , Flows to the lower end of the vertical main body 250.

  By the way, in this reformer 200D, the front side (upstream side) of the first horizontal main body 212D functions as a vaporization unit for vaporizing the reforming water and heating the raw fuel gas. Further, the rear side of the first horizontal main body portion 212D, the second horizontal main body portion 214D, the third horizontal main body portion 218, and the vertical main body portion 250 are for promoting a steam reforming reaction therein. A catalyst is disposed and functions as a reforming section. Note that the position of the boundary between the vaporizing section and the reforming section in the first to third horizontal main body sections 212D, 214D, and 218 may be another position. In addition, a honeycomb catalyst may be disposed in the first to third horizontal main body portions 212D, 214D, and 218, and a pellet catalyst may be disposed in the vertical main body portion 250.

  According to the configuration of the fuel cell 1000D of the fifth embodiment, the vicinity of the upper ends of the first and second cell stacks 100, 110 that become relatively high during operation, the first and second cell stacks 100, The reformer 200 </ b> D that operates at a relatively low temperature is disposed between 110 and approximately in the center in the arrangement direction of the fuel cells 120. Therefore, similarly to the first to fourth embodiments, the temperature distribution of the cell stack in the operating fuel cell 1000D is improved by the arrangement of the reformer 200D. However, in this fifth embodiment, the vaporization unit and the reforming unit are disposed above the first cell stack 100, and only the reforming unit is disposed above the second cell stack 110. . Therefore, the cooling effect exerted on the first and second cell stacks 100 and 110 by the reformer 200D is not uniform. That is, in this respect, the configurations of the reformers 200, 200A, and 200B of the first to third embodiments are more preferable than the configuration of the reformer 200D.

F. Example 6:
FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a fuel cell 1000E as a sixth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 22 is substantially the same as FIG. 21 except that the hatched regions in the first to third main body portions 212D, 214D, and 218 of the reformer 200E are different. That is, in the reformer 200E of the fuel cell 1000E, the first to third main body portions 212D, 214D, and 218 function as a vaporizing portion, and the vertical main body portion 250 functions as a reforming portion. The other configuration of the fuel cell 1000E is the same as that of the fuel cell 1000D of the fifth embodiment (FIGS. 19 and 20).

  According to the configuration of the fuel cell 1000E of the sixth embodiment, one vaporizer is disposed above each of the two cell stacks 100 and 110, and the upper end of each cell stack 100 and 110 is cooled by the vaporizer. Is done. In addition, the reforming portion disposed between the two cell stacks 100 and 110 can cool the substantially central region in the arrangement direction of the fuel cells 120 of each cell stack 100 and 110. Therefore, the temperature distribution of the cell stacks 100 and 110 in the operating fuel cell 1000E is improved.

G. Variation:
The present invention is not limited to the above-described examples and embodiments, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the following modifications are possible.

G1. Modification 1:
In the above embodiment, each of the fuel cells 1000 to 1000E was a solid oxide fuel cell. However, the fuel cell is not limited to a solid electrolyte fuel cell, and the present invention can be applied to various types of fuel cells. It should be noted that the effect of the present invention can be obtained with a fuel cell whose average operating temperature is higher than that of the vaporization section or reforming section.

G2. Modification 2:
In the above embodiment, raw fuel and reforming water are supplied as raw materials to the two vaporization sections 212 and 214, but liquid hydrocarbons may be supplied as raw materials. In this case, since the raw fuel supplied from the outside contains water, the water is also supplied from the outside. That is, the vaporization units 212 and 214 receive supply of raw fuel containing water and oxidizing gas, vaporize water in the raw fuel, raise the temperature of the raw fuel, and generate raw fuel gas containing water vapor. It has the function to do.

G3. Modification 3:
In the above embodiment, the two vaporization units 212 and 214 are arranged so as to cover the upper surfaces of the two cell stacks 100 and 110, respectively (FIG. 3). However, the two vaporization units 212 and 214 may be provided so as to cover only a part of the upper surfaces of the two cell stacks 100 and 110, respectively. For example, it is good also as what is arrange | positioned so that only the center vicinity in the arrangement direction of the fuel cell 120 of the two cell stacks 100 and 110 may be covered.

G4. Modification 4:
In the above-described embodiment, the reforming unit 250 is suspended from above in the approximate center between the two cell stacks 100 and 110. However, the reforming unit 250 may not be suspended between the two cell stacks 100 and 110, and may be disposed at another position between the two cell stacks 100 and 110. For example, the reforming unit 250 may be arranged as a substantially quadrangular prism shape extending in a substantially horizontal direction between the upper end portions of the two cell stacks 100 and 110, and may cool the upper part of the cell stacks 100 and 110. .

G5. Modification 5:
In the embodiments other than the fourth embodiment, one reforming unit 250 is provided for the two cell stacks 100 and 110. In the fourth embodiment, two reformers 250 are provided for the four cell stacks 100, 110, 130, and 140. The fuel cell may further include a set of a plurality of cell stacks and a reforming unit. That is, as described above, the fuel cell is adjacent to the two adjacent cell stacks and the vaporizer disposed above the adjacent two cell stacks in correspondence with each of the two cell stacks. Three or more sets may be arranged with the reforming unit 250 arranged between two cell stacks as one set. The fuel cell may be provided with an odd number of cell stacks, and the reformer may be added regardless of the number of cell stacks. In addition, two reforming units 250 may be arranged between two adjacent cell stacks 100 and 110.

G6. Modification 6:
In the above embodiment, the oxidizing gas is supplied to the cell stacks 100 and 110 by the oxidizing gas ducts 640 and 640A. However, the oxidizing gas ducts 640 and 640A may have other configurations. For example, the first and second piping portions 641 and 642 of the oxidizing gas duct 640 are connected by the third piping portion 643, but the third piping portion 643 is omitted, and the first and second piping portions 641 are omitted. , 642 may be separated from each other. Alternatively, one of the first and second piping parts 641 and 642 may be omitted, and a plurality of piping parts for oxidizing gas may be suspended. Further, the oxidizing gas duct 640 may be disposed at another position. For example, it may be arranged between the reforming unit 250 and the cell stack 100.

G7. Modification 7:
In the above embodiment, each of the first and second vaporization units 212 and 214 has a two-layer structure, but may have a single-layer structure.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Solid electrolyte 21 ... Anode 22 ... Cathode 30 ... Support base material 31 ... 1st surface 32 ... 2nd surface 33 ... Side surface 36 ... Gas flow path hole 40 ... Interconnector 42 ... Current collection member 43 ... Hollow part 100 , 110, 130, 140 ... cell stack 120 ... fuel cell 200, 200A, 200B, 200D, 200E ... reformer 212, 214, 212A, 214A, 212B, 214B, 212D, 214D ... horizontal main body 216 ... extended vaporization 216a, 216b ... internal space 218 ... third horizontal main body 221 ... lower layer chamber 223 ... partition wall 223B ... insulation plate 225 ... upper layer chamber 226 ... partition wall 231,231D ... connecting pipe 233,233A ... raw material introduction pipe 233a ... outer pipe 233b ... Inner piping 250 ... Vertical main body (reforming part)
260, 260A ... Fuel gas piping 270 ... Pellet catalyst 272 ... Catalyst region 300 ... Fuel gas manifold part 310 ... Gas chamber 400 ... Floor heat insulating material 500 ... Housing 510 ... Top face part 520 ... Side face part 530 ... Bottom face part 511, 521 531 ... Outer walls 512, 522, 524, 532, 534 ... Partition 550 ... Internal space 600 ... Oxidizing gas supply pipe 610 ... Bottom surface oxidizing gas chamber 620 ... Side surface oxidizing gas channel 630 ... Upper surface oxidizing gas chamber 640, 640A ... Oxidizing gas ducts 641, 642, 643... Piping section 645... Opening section 646... Through hole 710 ... Exhaust gas passage 720 ... Exhaust gas passage chamber 730 ... Exhaust gas piping 1000, 1000A to 1000E ... Fuel cell

Claims (8)

While vaporizing water introduced from the outside and raising the temperature of the raw fuel introduced from the outside to generate raw fuel gas containing water vapor, the raw fuel gas supplied from the vaporizer is steamed A reformer comprising a reforming section for reforming to generate fuel gas;
A plurality of cell stacks formed by arranging a plurality of fuel cells provided with gas flow paths for guiding the fuel gas upward;
A housing for housing the reformer and the plurality of cell stacks;
With
The plurality of cell stacks are arranged in parallel such that side portions along the arrangement direction of the fuel cells face each other,
Each upper end of the plurality of cell stacks is provided with a combustion section for burning the fuel gas that has not been consumed by the electrochemical reaction of the fuel cell,
The fuel cell, wherein the vaporization unit is disposed above the combustion unit, and the reforming unit is disposed between adjacent cell stacks. The fuel cell according to claim 1,
The fuel cell is a fuel cell, wherein the vaporization unit is disposed above the plurality of cell stacks so as to correspond to each of the plurality of cell stacks. The fuel cell according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
The fuel cell is a fuel cell, wherein the reforming unit is disposed so as to hang from the upper side of the cell stack between the adjacent cell stacks and at substantially the center in the arrangement direction of the fuel cells. The fuel cell according to claim 3, wherein
In the housing, between the adjacent cell stacks, above the two cell stacks, the vaporization section disposed corresponding to each of the two cell stacks, and between the two adjacent cell stacks A fuel cell in which a plurality of sets are arranged, with the reforming unit arranged as one set. The fuel cell according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein
In the housing,
A fuel gas manifold section disposed below the plurality of cell stacks for supplying the fuel gas to the gas flow path of the fuel cell;
A fuel gas pipe connecting the fuel gas manifold section and the reforming section;
With
The fuel cell, wherein the fuel gas pipe passes through substantially the center between adjacent cell stacks. A fuel cell according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
An exhaust gas passage for discharging exhaust gas from the combustion section;
At least a part of the vaporization section is a fuel cell arranged in the exhaust gas flow path. The fuel cell according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein
A second reforming unit connected between the vaporization unit and the reforming unit;
The fuel cell, wherein the second reforming unit is disposed above the combustion unit and above the vaporization unit. A fuel cell according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A plurality of oxidizing gas pipes for supplying the oxidizing gas to each of the adjacent cell stacks;
The oxidant gas pipes are disposed on both sides of the fuel cell in the arrangement direction of the fuel cell with respect to the reforming part, respectively, and are hanged from above the casing, and the oxidant gas pipes from below the cell stack. Supplying the fuel cell.

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