CN1878723A - Hydrogen generating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provided a hydrogen generating apparatus having a gas mixer reduced in weight, less in heat capacity, and high in performance and capable of providing excellent hydrogen generating efficiency and responsiveness. This hydrogen generating apparatus comprises a mixed gas flow passage (9) for flowing a mixed gas having two or more components therein, first and second flow passages in which the start ends thereof are branched from the mixed gas flow passage and the terminal ends thereof are converged to each other, first turning means (45a) to (45d) installed in the first flow passage and turning the mixed gas flowing in the first flow passage in a first direction, second turning means (46a) to (46d) installed in the second flow passage and turning the mixed gas flowing in the second flow passage in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and a hydrogen generating part generating hydrogen by chemically acting the mixed gas flowing out of the terminal ends of the first and second flow passages converged to each other.

Description

hydrogen generator

technical field

The present invention relates to a hydrogen generator that chemically reacts a raw material containing at least an organic compound composed of carbon and hydrogen with water to generate hydrogen, and supplies the hydrogen to a fuel cell.

Background technique

Conventionally, a fuel cell combined heat and power system with high power generation efficiency and overall efficiency (hereinafter referred to as a fuel cell system) has been attracting people's attention as a distributed power generation device capable of effectively utilizing energy.

In a fuel cell system, a fuel cell is disposed as the main body of its power generation unit. Most of these fuel cells, such as the practical phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC for short) and the solid polymer fuel cell (PEFC for short) currently under development, use hydrogen as the fuel for power generation. However, such a hydrogen supply device is not currently in place as a basic facility. Therefore, a hydrogen generator for generating hydrogen required for power generation is usually provided in a fuel cell system. In such a hydrogen generator, hydrogen-rich reformed gas is produced using hydrocarbon raw materials such as methane and water. The fuel cell performs power generation capable of outputting a predetermined amount of power using the reformed gas and air generated in such a hydrogen generator.

As a method for generating hydrogen in a hydrogen generating device, a steam reforming method is generally used. This steam reforming method utilizes the steam reforming reaction to generate reformed gas. This steam reforming reaction uses a ruthenium catalyst to chemically react city gas, which is the raw material for hydrogen generation, with water vapor at a high temperature of 600°C to 800°C to generate reformed gas with hydrogen as the main component. , a chemical reaction of one of various hydrogen generation reactions.

Specific structures of conventional hydrogen generators include, for example, hydrogen generators having multiple concentric cylindrical structures.

Fig. 18 is a schematic sectional view showing an internal structure of an example of a hydrogen generator capable of uniformly mixing raw materials and water vapor. In addition, the arrows shown in FIG. 18 indicate the flow directions of gases such as raw materials and water vapor.

As shown in FIG. 18 , a hydrogen generator 300 capable of uniformly mixing raw materials and water vapor has a multiple concentric cylindrical structure. That is, the hydrogen generator 300 includes a burner 16 for generating a high-temperature state combustion gas for the steam reforming reaction to proceed, and heaters 17 and 18 for generating wet water vapor or water vapor while supplying water while being heated by the burner 16. . In addition, the hydrogen generating device 300 is provided in a plurality of annular spaces formed by a plurality of concentric cylinders 19 to 28 centering on the burner 16, and is equipped with a concentric cylinder shape centering on the burner 16: using the burner 16 to generate The combustion gas in the high-temperature state passes through the combustion gas flow path 29, and the preheating layer 30 used for preheating the mixed gas of the raw material and steam before the steam reforming reaction is carried out, and heated to a predetermined temperature to reform the steam. The reforming catalyst layer 31 where the reaction proceeds, the heat recovery layer 32 for recovering heat for lowering the temperature of the reformed gas generated in the reforming catalyst layer 31 in a high-temperature state, and the reformed gas cooled by the heat recovery layer 32 The conversion catalyst layer 33 whose carbon monoxide concentration is reduced by the chemical reaction, and the reformed gas whose carbon monoxide concentration is reduced by the conversion catalyst layer 33 is mixed with the air taken in from the air supply part 34 for supplying air for the selective oxidation reaction. The first mixed layer 35 and the second mixed layer 36 for use, and the first selective oxidation catalyst for further reducing the carbon monoxide concentration in the reformed gas mixed with air by using the selective oxidation reaction through the first mixed layer 35 and the second mixed layer 36 layer 37 and the second selective oxidation catalyst layer 38. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 18, in this hydrogen generator 300, the preheating layer 30, the heat recovery layer 32, the first mixed layer 35, and the second mixed layer 36 are filled to promote the flow of raw materials and water vapor or air. Filler structure of mixed ceramic balls (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In the hydrogen generator 300 configured in this way, the water used in the steam reforming reaction is supplied to the heater 17 or the heater 18, at least a part thereof is vaporized, and the water (warm water) discharged from the heater 17 or 18 is After being mixed with city gas as a raw material in a mixing section not shown in FIG. 18, it moves in each space between the concentric cylinder 25 and the concentric cylinder 26, and between the concentric cylinder 24 and the concentric cylinder 25. When fully vaporized, mixed with city gas. Then, the mixed gas of city gas and water vapor is sufficiently mixed when passing through the preheating layer 30, and is supplied to the reforming catalyst layer 31, and is used for combustion in the reforming catalyst layer 31 by flowing through the combustion gas channel 29. In the steam reforming reaction after the gas is heated. The reformed gas generated by this steam reforming reaction passes through the heat recovery layer 32 and is supplied to the reforming catalyst layer 33 after being cooled to a predetermined temperature. Then, most of the carbon monoxide contained in the reformed gas is eliminated by the reforming reaction carried out in the reforming catalyst layer 33 . The reformed gas from which most of the carbon monoxide has been removed is supplied to the first selective oxidation catalyst layer after the first mixing layer 35 is sufficiently mixed with the air supplied from the air supplier 34 in order to further remove a small amount of carbon monoxide thereafter. 37. Then, by the selective oxidation reaction carried out in the first selective oxidation catalyst layer 37, almost all of the carbon monoxide contained in the reformed gas is removed by combustion. Also, in order to remove carbon monoxide that cannot be removed by the first selective oxidation catalyst layer 37, the reformed gas whose concentration is made uniform by the second mixed layer 36 is supplied to the second selective oxidation catalyst layer 38, and In layer 38, carbon monoxide is further removed. The reformed gas from which carbon monoxide has been sufficiently removed is supplied to the fuel cell. It is used in the chemical reaction for power generation of the fuel cell.

If the hydrogen generating device 300 shown in FIG. 18 is used, since the preheating layer 30 made of ceramic balls is arranged between the concentric cylinder 20 and the concentric cylinder 21, the fluid flow passing through the preheating layer 30 is disturbed. , so city gas etc. and raw material water vapor can be actively mixed. In other words, the flow of the mixed gas of raw materials and water vapor is affected by the ceramic balls to form a three-dimensional intricate flow when passing through the preheating layer 30 , so the mixing of raw materials and water vapor can be well promoted. In addition, according to such a hydrogen generator 300, when the reformed gas is supplied to the reforming catalyst layer 33, the mixed state of the reformed gas is improved by utilizing the mixing effect of the heat recovery layer 32, so that the reformed gas can be well distributed in the reforming catalyst layer 33. in the conversion reaction. In addition, if such a hydrogen generator 300 is used, when the reformed gas is supplied to the first selective oxidation catalyst layer 37 and the second selective oxidation catalyst layer 38 respectively, since the first mixed layer 35 and the second mixed layer 36 have The mixing action of the reformed gas improves the mixed state of the reformed gas, and the selective oxidation reaction of the first selective oxidation catalyst layer 37 and the second selective oxidation catalyst layer 38 can be carried out well.

However, in this hydrogen generator 300, in the preheating layer 30, the heat recovery layer 32, the first mixing layer 35, and the second mixing layer 36 formed by filling ceramic balls, the mixing performance of adjacent fluids is compared. Good, but the mixing performance between fluids that are located relatively far from each other is relatively poor. Specifically, the raw material and water vapor used for the reforming reaction are supplied from the upper right part of FIG. Concentrations of the raw material and water vapor in the fluid supplied to the preheating layer 30 on the left side of FIG. 18 are higher. In this case, even if the concentration of raw materials and water vapor in the fluid of the preheating layer 30 is to be made uniform in the circumferential direction, the fluid must be preheated farther than the inside of the preheating layer 30. Since the vertical length of the layer 30 is large and the circumferential direction moves, it is actually difficult to uniformize the concentration of the raw material and water vapor in the fluid in the preheating layer 30 . Therefore, the concentration of the raw material and water vapor supplied to the reforming catalyst layer 31 is not uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction of the catalyst layer, and in the position where the raw material and water vapor concentration of the reforming catalyst layer 31 are low, the concentration of the reforming catalyst layer occurs. 31 overheated portion, causing deterioration of the reforming catalyst. In addition, in the position where the raw material and water vapor concentration of the reforming catalyst layer 31 are high, the temperature of the reforming catalyst layer 31 cannot be raised sufficiently due to the presence of too much water vapor, and the conversion rate of hydrogen gas is reduced.

Also, in the first mixed layer 35, as in the case of the above-mentioned preheating layer 30, the concentration of the air supplied from the positions P1 and P2 shown in FIG. 18 is different, so it is difficult to uniformize in the circumferential direction Therefore, the concentration of oxygen supplied to the first selective oxidation catalyst layer 37 is unevenly distributed in the circumferential direction of the catalyst layer. Therefore, carbon monoxide contained in the reformed gas cannot be sufficiently removed at the position where the oxygen concentration of the first selective oxidation catalyst layer 37 is low. On the other hand, at the position where the oxygen concentration of the first selective oxidizing agent layer 37 is high, even if the carbon monoxide contained in the reformed gas is removed by an oxidation method, the generated hydrogen is consumed due to the existence of the remaining oxygen, resulting in A decrease in the efficiency of hydrogen generation.

Therefore, in order to suppress a significant difference in the concentrations of the raw material and water vapor supplied to the reforming catalyst layer 31 as described above, a hydrogen generator capable of improving the mixing performance between fluids present at positions spaced apart in the circumferential direction is proposed.

19 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the internal structure of an example of a hydrogen generator capable of improving the mixing performance of fluids present at positions separated from each other in the circumferential direction. Arrows shown in FIG. 19 indicate the flow directions of gases such as raw materials and water vapor.

As shown in FIG. 19 , this hydrogen generator 400 includes a city gas supply pipe connection portion 1 , a water supply pipe connection portion 2 , a combustion gas exhaust port 13 , and an outlet pipe 15 . In addition, this hydrogen generator 400 is provided in a concentric cylindrical shape with the burner 3 as the center: the combustion gas flow paths 4 to 6, the city gas supplied from the city gas supply pipe connection part 1 and the water supply connection part 2 and Downflow passage 8 through which water flows downward, upflow passage 9 through which mixed gas of water vapor and city gas generated while flowing down through this downflow passage 8 rises, and reformed gas generated by steam reforming reaction The flow path 11 for reformed gas flowing inside the hydrogen generator 400 . In addition, in this hydrogen generator 400, the evaporator 10 is constituted by the downflow channel 8 and the upflow channel 9, and a reforming gas reforming reaction is provided in a predetermined area inside the reformed gas channel 11. The whole catalyst layer 12. In addition, in the hydrogen generator 400 shown in FIG. 19 , the ascending channel 9 and the reformed gas channel 11 are sandwiched by two disc-shaped horizontal walls 39 and 40 to form a disc-shaped space 41 and a catalyst. The piping 42 is connected. And as shown in FIG. 19 , in this hydrogen generator 400 , in order to promote the mixing of raw materials and water vapor, at least a disc-shaped space 41 is filled with a large number of spherical particles whose diameter is about 1/3 of the height of the space 41 . Aluminum oxide particles43.

In the hydrogen generator 400 configured in this way, when city gas and water are supplied from the city gas supply pipe connection part 1 and the water supply pipe connection part 2 to the downflow channel 8, the city gas and water vapor are generated in the evaporator 10. of mixed gas. Then, the mixed gas of city gas and water vapor extending in the circumferential direction inside the evaporator 10 passes through the space 41 and the catalyst pipe 42 and is supplied to the reforming catalyst layer 12 filled with the reforming catalyst. Then, in the reforming catalyst layer 12, the combustion gas flowing through the combustion gas passage 4 heats the reforming catalyst to a high temperature, and the steam reforming reaction proceeds, thereby producing hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide from the mixed gas. reformed gas. Here, in this hydrogen generator 400, as in the case of the hydrogen generator 300 shown in FIG. Therefore, raw materials such as city gas and water vapor can be positively mixed. In other words, the mixed gas flow of the raw material and water vapor becomes a three-dimensional and intricate gas flow under the influence of the alumina particles 43 when passing through the disk-shaped space 41, so that it can This improves the mixing state of raw materials and water vapor.

In addition, in this hydrogen generator 400, the ascending channel 9 and the reformed gas channel 11 are connected to the catalyst pipe 42 via the disk-shaped space 41 sandwiched by the two disk-shaped horizontal walls 39 and 40. The mixed gas of city gas and water vapor passing through the evaporator 10 passes through the disc-shaped space 41 from the entire area of the evaporator 10 in a turbulent state under the influence of the alumina particles 43, and is collected in the catalyst pipe 42, and then supplied to the reforming catalyst. Layer 12. Therefore, the city gas supplied from the city gas supply pipe connection part 1 flows to the city gas supply pipe connection part 1 side through the inside of the downflow flow path 8 and the upflow flow path 9, and flows on the right side of the space 41 shown in FIG. 19 . , the concentration of city gas in the mixed gas is high, on the contrary, on the left side of the space 41 shown in FIG. The mixed state of, for example, city gas and water vapor in the circumferential direction within the catalyst layer 12 is also sufficiently averaged. In other words, if the hydrogen generator 400 shown in FIG. 19 is used, the mixing state of fluids such as a mixed gas of city gas and water vapor can be improved, and at the same time, the relationship between fluids existing at positions keeping distances from each other in the circumferential direction can be improved. mixed state.

Patent Document 1: International Publication No. WO2000/063114

Contents of the invention

Problem solved

However, in the hydrogen generator 400 described above, since at least the space 41 is filled with a large amount of alumina particles 43 for improving the mixed state of city gas and water vapor in the mixed gas, there is a problem that the weight of the hydrogen generator 400 increases. Furthermore, due to this problem, there arises a problem affecting the weight reduction of the fuel cell system including the hydrogen generator 400 .

Also, in this hydrogen generator 400, since many alumina particles 43 are used, the heat capacity of the hydrogen generator 400 increases. Therefore, when it is necessary to increase the supply amount of the reformed gas supplied to the fuel cell according to the increase in the power consumption of the load, it takes a long time until the temperature distribution inside the hydrogen generator 400 becomes the optimum temperature distribution. Therefore, there is a problem of poor response performance. This problem is particularly important when starting the hydrogen generator 400 .

Specifically, when the hydrogen generator 400 is started, the temperature of the alumina particles 43 is at room temperature or close to room temperature, but thereafter heated by the high-temperature combustion gas generated by the burner 3, the temperature gradually rises. In this case, the heat required to raise the temperature of all the alumina particles 43 from room temperature to, for example, 200° C. is about 140 kJ (assuming that the total weight of the alumina particles 43 is about 1 kg, and the specific heat thereof is assumed to be about 0.8 kJ /kg·℃). On the other hand, in the hydrogen generator 40 using city gas as a raw material, in order to heat the alumina particles 43 by burning city gas at the start-up, assuming that the low-level calorific value of the city gas is about 42 kJ/NLM, in order to To obtain the above-mentioned heat of about 140kJ, about 3.3NLM of city gas is needed. In this case, assuming that the alumina particles 43 are heated by burning city gas at about 1.5 NLM/min, it takes about 2 minutes to raise the temperature of all the alumina particles 43 from room temperature to 200°C. In fact, due to heat loss in the hydrogen generator 400, a start-up time delay of two minutes or more occurs.

At this time, if the raw material and water vapor are supplied to the hydrogen generator 400 before the temperature of the alumina particles 43 rises sufficiently, the supplied water vapor will condense as water due to the cooling of the alumina particles 43, and thus affect the reforming catalyst layer. 12 The supplied raw material is a raw material with an insufficient amount of water vapor. In this case, under conditions where the amount of water vapor is small (specifically, the ratio S/C of the molar amount S of water vapor supplied to the reforming catalyst layer 12 to the molar amount C of carbon contained in the raw material is lower than 2.7 If the steam reforming reaction proceeds under the conditions in the range of ～32), the carbon in the raw material will be precipitated on the surface of the reforming catalyst, and the catalytic activity of the reforming catalyst will decrease. Furthermore, if such operating conditions are continued, the catalyst performance of the entire reforming catalyst layer will deteriorate, so the hydrogen generator 400 cannot be used for a long period of time. Therefore, it is actually necessary to supply the raw material and water vapor to the hydrogen generator 400 after the temperature of the alumina particles 43 has risen sufficiently. That is, in the hydrogen generator 400 described above, there is a problem that the standby time from startup to power output is long.

Also, the hydrogen generator 300 shown in FIG. 18 is also composed of ceramic balls such as the preheating layer 30 and the first mixed layer 35 , and thus has the same problems as the hydrogen generator 400 described above.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a hydrogen generator having excellent hydrogen generation efficiency and responsiveness, which is provided with a high-performance gas mixer that is light in weight and has a small heat capacity.

means of solving problems

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the hydrogen generating device of the present invention includes: a mixed gas flow channel through which a mixed gas containing two or more components flows; The flow path and the second flow path are provided in the first flow path, and the first rotating device that turns the mixed gas flowing in the first flow path in the first direction is installed in the second flow path to make the mixed gas flow The mixed gas passing through the second flow path is turned to the second direction which is the opposite direction to the first direction, that is, the second rotating device, and the second rotating device for flowing out from the terminal end of the merged first flow path and the second flow path. The hydrogen generating part where the above-mentioned mixed gas undergoes a chemical reaction to generate hydrogen.

When such a structure is adopted, the mixed state of the mixed gas supplied to the reforming catalyst layer or the selective oxidation catalyst layer can be improved, and at the same time, the concentration of components such as city gas in the mixed gas supplied to the reforming catalyst layer or the selective oxidation catalyst layer can be improved. Since the concentration can be uniform regardless of the supply position, it is possible to provide a hydrogen generating device excellent in hydrogen generation efficiency.

In this case, the first flow path and the second flow path are formed so that the mixed gas can flow from the end of the first flow path and the end of the second flow path. The flow in the vertical plane of the outflow direction makes the turn in the first direction and the turn in the second direction respectively.

With such a structure, a flat gas mixer can be formed, so that the thickness of the hydrogen generator can be reduced.

In this case, the first flow path and the second flow path have central axes that coincide with each other, and their outer peripheral surfaces are open and hollow with a circular opening at the center. Inlet, while the opening constitutes an outlet as a terminal, the first rotating device divides the internal space of the first flow path in the direction along the central axis, and from the periphery of the internal space inward, the terminal a plurality of partition walls extending from the radial direction to the first direction offset from the starting end, the second rotating device divides the inner space of the second flow path in the direction along the central axis, and Inwardly from the periphery of the internal space, the end-to-start end is constituted by a plurality of partition walls that extend offset from the radial direction toward the second direction.

With such a configuration, it is possible to suitably configure a flat-plate gas mixer excellent in gas mixing inward.

The offset of the end of the partition wall relative to the start is in the range of 45° to 90° in the rotation angle around the central axis.

When such a structure is adopted, the mixed state of the mixed gas can be well improved.

In this case, a plurality of the first flow path and the second flow path and the first rotation device and the second rotation device are respectively formed along the central axis.

When such a structure is adopted, the mixed state of the mixed gas can be better improved.

Also, in the above case, the first flow path and the second flow path are formed so that the mixed gas can be mixed from the end of the first flow path and the end of the second flow path. The cylindrical in-plane flow in a direction parallel to the outflow direction of the gas makes a turn in the first direction and a turn in the second direction, respectively.

With such a configuration, since a cylindrical gas mixer can be configured, the size of the hydrogen generator can be reduced.

In this case, the first flow path and the second flow path are each formed in a cylindrical shape with the central axis as a central axis and having a circular cross-section, and each end surface on one side constitutes an inlet as a starting end. At the same time, each end surface on the other side constitutes an outlet as a terminal, and the first rotating device divides the cylindrical inner space of the first flow path in a helical shape, so that it rotates in the first direction. The partition wall is configured, and the second rotating device is composed of a plurality of partition walls that spirally partition the cylindrical internal space of the first flow path and rotate in the second direction.

When such a structure is adopted, it is possible to favorably constitute a cylindrical gas mixer having excellent gas mixing performance.

In this case, the rotation angle of the partition wall from the beginning to the end is a rotation angle ranging from 45° to 90°.

When such a structure is adopted, the mixed state of the mixed gas can be favorably improved.

In this case, a part of the outlet of the swirling flow path partitioned by the partition wall is closed.

When such a structure is adopted, the mixed state of the mixed gas can be better improved.

In this case, the first flow path and the second flow path are separated and formed by a cylindrical partition wall, and the swirling flow in any one of the first flow path and the second flow path The exit of the road is closed, and the part of the partition wall near the closed exit forms an opening.

When such a structure is adopted, the mixed state of the mixed gas can be better improved.

In this case, a plurality of the first flow path and the second flow path are respectively formed along the central axis, and among the mixed gas flow paths, the first flow path and the second flow path on the upstream side The end of the second flow path is connected to the beginning of the first flow path and the second flow path on the downstream side.

When such a structure is adopted, the mixed state of the mixed gas can be better improved.

Also, in the above case, the mixed gas is a mixed gas in which an organic compound having at least carbon and hydrogen and water are combined, and the chemical reaction is steam reforming in which hydrogen is generated from a mixed gas in which the organic compound and water are mixed. reaction, the hydrogen generating part is a reforming reaction part that generates hydrogen-rich reformed gas by utilizing the steam reforming reaction, and the first rotating device and the second rotating device are arranged in the reforming Upstream of the reaction section, the mixed gas flowing out from the terminals of the merged first flow path and the second flow path is supplied to the reforming reaction section to generate hydrogen.

With such a structure, the mixed state of the mixed gas supplied to the reforming reaction part can be improved, and thus the reforming reaction in the reforming reaction part can be better performed.

Also, in the above case, the mixed gas is a mixed gas of the reformed gas and oxygen, and the selection of carbon monoxide in the reformed gas is reduced by means of a selective oxidation reaction of converting carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide by using oxygen. In the oxidation reaction part, instead of the hydrogen generation part, the first rotating device and the second rotating device are arranged upstream of the selective oxidation reaction part, and The mixed gas flowing out of the terminal is supplied to the selective oxidation reaction part to reduce carbon monoxide in the reformed gas.

With such a structure, the mixed state of the mixed gas supplied to the selective oxidation reaction part can be improved, so that the selective oxidation reaction in the selective oxidation reaction part can be better performed.

Invention effect

The present invention is carried out using the above-described solution means, and can provide a hydrogen generator having a high-performance gas mixer that is light in weight and has a small heat capacity, and has excellent hydrogen generation efficiency and responsiveness.

According to the present invention, it is possible to eliminate temporal and spatial concentration inhomogeneity of a fluid such as a mixed gas of a raw material and water vapor supplied to a reforming catalyst layer. Then, as a result, the temporal and spatial uniformity of the concentration of the reformed gas can be ensured, so the carbon monoxide removal catalyst layer such as the reforming catalyst layer and the reforming reactor arranged on the downstream side can be effectively used, and the It contributes significantly to the reduction of the number of catalysts and the miniaturization of hydrogen generators.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the internal structure of a hydrogen generator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

2 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the gas mixer according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2(a) is a plan view of the gas mixer, and FIG. 2(b) is a cross-sectional view of the gas mixer.

FIG. 3 schematically explains the flow of the mixed gas separated by the partition wall on its upper side.

FIG. 4 schematically explains the mixed gas flow separated by the partition wall on its lower side.

5 is a schematic view of the internal structure of another gas mixer according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 5(a) is a plan view of the gas mixer, and FIG. 5(b) is a cross-sectional view of the gas mixer.

6 is a plan view showing the structure of a gas mixer in which eight flow path defining members are arranged on one surface of a partition wall.

Fig. 7 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the internal structure of a hydrogen generator according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the internal structure of a gas mixer according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

9 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the flow of the reformed gas in the gas mixer, FIG. 9( a ) is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the mixed gas divided inside the mixing concentric cylinder, and FIG. 9( b ) is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the mixed gas divided outside the concentric cylinder for mixing,

Fig. 10 is an explanatory view for more easily understanding the operation of the gas mixer of the present embodiment shown in Fig. 9 .

Fig. 11 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the internal structure of another gas mixer according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the internal structure of another gas mixer according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

13 schematically shows the rotation angle of the mixed gas of the first fluid (such as raw material) and the second fluid (such as water vapor) in the gas mixer of this embodiment and the rotation angle of the mixed gas that passes through the gas mixer. A graph showing the relationship between reforming reaction conversion rates in the reforming catalyst layer.

Fig. 14 is a schematic view of the internal structure of a gas mixer according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention, Fig. 14(a) is a top view of the gas mixer, and Fig. 14(b) is a side view of the gas mixer.

Fig. 15 is a schematic view of the internal structure of a gas mixer according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention, Fig. 15(a) is a top view of the gas mixer, and Fig. 15(b) is a side view of the gas mixer.

Fig. 16 is a schematic view showing the internal structure of a first gas mixer assembly formed by arranging gas mixers in series according to Embodiments 2 to 4 of the present invention.

Fig. 17 is a schematic view showing the internal structure of a second gas mixer assembly formed by arranging gas mixers in series according to Embodiments 2 to 4 of the present invention.

Fig. 18 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the internal structure of an example of a hydrogen generator capable of uniformly mixing raw materials and water vapor.

19 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the internal structure of an example of a hydrogen generator capable of improving the mixing performance of fluids present at positions separated from each other in the circumferential direction.

Symbol Description

1 Pipe connection for city gas supply

2 Water supply pipe connection

3 burners

4～6 Flow path for combustion gas

8 down flow path

9 Upstream path

10 evaporator

11 Flow path for reformed gas

12 reforming catalyst layer

13 Combustion gas exhaust port

15 outlet piping

16 burners

17, 18 Heater

19～28 Concentric cylinders

29 Flow path for combustion gas

30 preheated layers

31 reforming catalyst layer

32 heat recovery layer

33 conversion catalyst layer

34 Air supply department

35 1st mixed layer

36 2nd mixed layer

37 The first selective oxidation catalyst layer

38 The second selective oxidation catalyst layer

39～40 Transverse wall

41 space

42 Catalyst piping

43 Alumina particles

44 end

45a～45d Flow path regulation components

46a～46d Flow path regulation components

47～49 mixed gas

50 Partition wall

51 Connecting hole

52 end

53a～53d Flow path regulation components

54a～54d Flow path regulation components

55, 56 mixed gas

57 Partition board

58 Partition wall

59a～59h Flow path regulation components

60a～60h Flow path regulation components

61 Concentric cylinder for mixing

62a～62d Internal flow path regulation member

63a～63d Outer flow path regulation member

64～66 reformed gas

67a～67h Internal flow path regulation member

68a～68h External flow path regulation member

69, 70 Export Department

71 Baffle

72, 73 opening

74 Baffle

75 opening

76 Concentric cylinder for mixing

77 shell

101 Gas mixer

101' gas mixer

102, 103 gas mixer

201, 202 gas mixer

203～208 gas mixer

100～400 Hydrogen generating device

A The 1st prescribed position

B 2nd prescribed position

C 3rd prescribed position

D The 4th prescribed position

E 5th prescribed position

F Sixth prescribed position

G The 7th prescribed position

H The 8th prescribed position

c central axis

best practice

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Embodiment 1

In Embodiment 1 of the present invention, a disc-shaped space is used to connect an evaporator for evaporating supplied water and mixing it with raw materials to generate mixed gas, and a reaction for steam reforming reaction for generating reformed gas. In the section, a gas mixer is arranged in the disc-shaped space to improve the mixing state of gas mixing in the horizontal direction.

First, the basic structure and operation of a hydrogen generator 100 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 .

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of a hydrogen generator 100 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In addition, in FIG. 1 , descriptions of the shift reactor, the selective oxidation reactor, and the fuel cell main body for removing carbon monoxide contained in the reformed gas are omitted. In addition, the arrows shown in FIG. 1 indicate the direction in which gases such as raw materials and water vapor flow.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the hydrogen generator 100 of this embodiment has a cylindrical casing 77 with its upper end and lower end closed. The inside of the casing 77 is partitioned by a cylindrical vertical wall and a disk-shaped horizontal wall, and various flow paths and the like described below are formed. The hydrogen generator 100 provided with such a housing 77 has a city gas supply pipe connection 1 for supplying city gas to the hydrogen generator 100 from an external infrastructure, and a water supply pipe connection 1 for supplying water to the hydrogen generator 100 from a water pipe. A pipe connection part 2, and a burner 3 for generating combustion gas in a high-temperature state for steam reforming reaction.

In addition, in this hydrogen generator 100, the combustion gas flow paths 4 to 6 through which the combustion gas in a high-temperature state generated by the burner 3 circulates in the hydrogen generator 100, the city gas supply pipe connection part 1 and the water supply pipe The city gas and water provided by the connection part 2 flow down the downflow channel 8, and the mixed gas of the water vapor and the city gas generated in the process of flowing down the downflow channel 8 rises up the upflow channel 9, and the water The reformed gas channel 11 through which the reformed gas generated by the steam reforming reaction flows through the hydrogen generator 100 has a concentric cylindrical shape with respect to the central axis C of the hydrogen generator 100 . Here, in the hydrogen generator 100 of this embodiment, the downflow channel 8 and the uplink channel 9 constitute an evaporator 10, and the generated water vapor is mixed with city gas by the evaporator 10. Further, a reforming catalyst layer 12 for advancing the steam reforming reaction is formed in a predetermined region inside the reformed gas flow channel 11 . In addition, the hydrogen generator 10 (0) includes a combustion gas exhaust port 13 for discharging the combustion gas passing through the combustion gas flow paths 4 to 6 to the outside of the hydrogen generator 100 and a reforming gas flow path 11 for reforming gas. An outlet pipe 15 for discharging the gas to the outside of the hydrogen generator 100 .

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 1, in the hydrogen generator 100 of this embodiment, the end 44 of the ascending flow path 9 and the catalyst pipe 42 for introducing the mixed gas to the flow path 11 for reformed gas are made of two disk-shaped horizontal walls. 39 and the transverse wall 40 are connected through the disc-shaped space 41 formed. Here, a through hole having a diameter to which the catalyst pipe 42 can be connected is formed in the central portion of the lateral wall 40 , and one end of the catalyst pipe 42 is connected to the through hole. Also as shown in FIG. 1 , in the hydrogen generator 100, the above-mentioned disk-shaped space 41 is provided with a gas which is the characteristic of the present invention for improving the mixed state of the mixed gas of the raw material and water vapor passing through the ascending channel 9. Mixer 101. The configuration of the gas mixer 101 will be described in detail below.

In the hydrogen generator 100 of the present embodiment configured in this way, when raw materials such as city gas and water are supplied from the city gas supply pipe connection portion 1 and the water supply pipe connection portion 2 to the downflow flow path 8, the flow in the downflow flow path The water is heated to generate water vapor, which passes through the ascending channel 9 while gradually mixing with the raw material, and is then discharged from the end 44 of the ascending channel 9 as a mixed gas. That is, in the evaporator 10, a mixed gas of the raw material and water vapor is generated. Then, the mixed gas generated in the evaporator 10 is supplied to the space 41 where the gas mixer 101 is arranged. Then, in this gas mixer 101, while the raw materials and water vapor in the mixed gas are fully mixed, in the ascending flow path 9, the mixed gas that spreads with a concentration distribution in its circumferential direction is collected and uniformly mixed. . The effect of improving the mixing state of the mixed gas by using the gas mixer 101 will be described in detail below.

The mixed gas passing through the gas mixer 101 then passes through the catalyst pipe 42 and is supplied to the reformed gas flow path 11 having the reforming catalyst layer 12 filled with the reforming catalyst. Then, in this reforming catalyst layer 12, the combustion gas flowing through the combustion gas flow path 4 heats the reforming catalyst layer 12 to a high temperature to perform a steam reforming reaction, thereby generating a gas mixture containing hydrogen and carbon dioxide from the mixed gas. and reformed gas of carbon monoxide. Thereafter, the reformed gas also passes through the channel 11 for reformed gas, and is supplied from the outlet pipe 15 to a shift reactor for reducing the concentration of carbon monoxide in the reformed gas. In addition, the combustion gas supplied to the combustion gas flow channel 4 is discharged to the outside of the hydrogen generator 100 through the combustion gas exhaust port 13 after passing through the combustion gas flow channels 5 to 6 .

Next, the structure of the gas mixer 101 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

2 is a schematic view of the internal structure of the gas mixer 101 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2(a) is a plan view of the gas mixer 101, and FIG. In FIG. 2( a ), solid lines indicate upper flow path defining members 45 a to 45 d described below in the gas mixer 101 , and broken lines represent lower flow path defining members 46 a to 46 d .

As shown in Figure 2 (a) and Figure 2 (b), the gas mixer 101 of the present embodiment has the function of dividing the mixed gas 47 rising from the ascending channel 9 shown in Figure 1 into a mixed gas 48 and a mixed gas 49. The disk-shaped partition wall 50 of two parts up and down like this. A communication hole 51 having a diameter substantially equal to that of the catalyst pipe 42 is provided at the center of the partition wall 50 . Furthermore, between the outer peripheral portions of the communicating holes 51 on both sides of the partition wall 50 and the outer peripheral portions of the partition wall 50, flow path regulations that are spiral-shaped in plan view and band-shaped in side view are provided. Members 45a-45d and 46a-46d.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2( a ), four flow path defining members 45 a to 45 d each having a predetermined spiral shape are arranged at equal intervals on the upper side of the partition wall 50 . These flow path defining members 45 a to 45 d have a spiral shape capable of making the flow direction of the air-fuel mixture 48 counterclockwise. Also, as shown in FIG. 2 a , four flow path defining members 46 a to 46 d each having a spiral shape are arranged at equal intervals on the lower side of the partition wall 50 . These flow path defining members 46 a to 46 d have a spiral shape capable of making the flow direction of the air-fuel mixture 49 clockwise. Here, as shown in FIG. 2a, the flow path defining members 45a to 45d are respectively arranged on the surface of the partition wall 50, and the ends on the outer peripheral side of the partition wall 50 in the longitudinal direction are positioned at every 45°. From the first predetermined position A to the fourth predetermined position D, the end of the inner peripheral side of the partition wall 50 (the outer peripheral side of the communication hole 51 ) in the longitudinal direction is arranged relative to the first predetermined position A. From the fifth predetermined position E to the eighth predetermined position H in which the fourth predetermined position D is shifted counterclockwise by 45°. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2( a ), flow path defining members 46 a to 46 d are respectively arranged on the surface of the partition wall 50 , and the end portion on the outer peripheral side of the partition wall 50 in the longitudinal direction is arranged on the above-mentioned first wall. From the first predetermined position A to the fourth predetermined position D, the ends on the inner peripheral side of the partition wall 50 (on the outer peripheral side of the communication hole 51 ) in the longitudinal direction are arranged relative to the first predetermined position A to the fourth predetermined position. 4. The predetermined position D is the seventh predetermined position G, the sixth predetermined position F, the fifth predetermined position E, and the eighth predetermined position H shifted clockwise by 45°. That is, in the gas mixer 101 of this embodiment, the flow path defining members 45a to 45d and the flow path defining members 46a to 46d are respectively arranged in a spiral shape on the plane shown in FIG. The gas 48 and the mixed gas 49 rotate in opposite directions to each other, and the mixed gas 48 and the mixed gas 49 rotate in the same direction when viewed from each surface of the partition wall 50 . Then, the gas mixer 101 composed of the partition wall 50, the flow path defining members 45a to 45d and the flow path defining members 46a to 46d is arranged and fixed on the circle connecting the above flow path 9 and the catalyst pipe 42 by predetermined fixing means. On the disk-shaped space 41 , the communication hole 51 of the gas mixer 101 and the catalyst pipe 23 are substantially aligned in the direction of the central axis C. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2(a) and FIG. 2(b), at a predetermined position of the gas mixer 101, the reformed gas generated in the reforming catalyst layer 12 is discharged to the outside of the hydrogen generator 100. Outlet piping 15 for use. In addition, the shapes of the flow path defining members 45a to 45d and the flow path defining members 46a to 46d preferably have the same shape in order to make the flow rates of the mixed gas flowing in the respective flow paths equal.

The effect of the gas mixer 101 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention on improving the mixing state of the mixed gas will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 schematically explains the flow of the mixed gas 48 partitioned on the upper side by the partition wall 50 . In addition, Fig. 3 shows a plan view when viewed from the same direction as the plan view shown in Fig. 2(a). In addition, in FIG. 3 , the flow of the mixed gas 48 flowing into the upper side of the partition wall 50 from four directions is conveniently shown by arrows having various patterns.

4 schematically explains the flow of the mixed gas 49 partitioned by the partition wall 50 on the lower side thereof. In addition, FIG. 4 also shows the plan view of the situation seen partially from the same direction as the plan view shown in FIG. 2(a). 4 also conveniently shows the flow of the mixed gas 49 flowing into the lower side of the partition wall 50 from four directions by arrows having various patterns.

As shown in FIG. 3, for example, the mixed gas 48a shown by the white arrow flowing in from the right side in FIG. 3 flows in from the upper side in FIG. The communicating hole 51. Also, the mixed gas 48b shown by other arrows flowing in from the upper side in FIG. 3 flows into the communication hole 51 from the left side of FIG. . Also, the mixed gas 48c shown by other arrows flowing in from the left side of FIG. Also, the mixed gas 48d shown by other arrows flowing in from the lower side in FIG. In this way, the flow path defining members 45 a to 45 d function to rotate the flow of the mixed gas 48 a to 48 d flowing into the upper side of the partition member 50 by 90° to the left and send it into the communication hole 51 .

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, the mixed gas 49a flowing in from the right side in FIG. 4 shown by the white arrow changes its flow path to right-handed by means of the flow path defining member 46a and the flow path defining member 46d, It flows into the communication hole 51 from the lower side in FIG. 4 . Also, the mixed gas 49b shown by another arrow flowing in from the upper side of FIG. Hole 51. Also, the mixed gas 49c flowing in from the left side in FIG. 4 shown by another arrow changes its flow path to right-handed by means of the flow path defining member 46c and the flow path defining member 46b, and flows in and communicates from the upper side of FIG. 4 . Hole 51. Also, the mixed gas 49d shown by another arrow flowing in from the lower side in FIG. Hole 51. In this way, the flow path defining members 46a to 46d have the function of turning the flow direction of the mixed gas 49a to 49d on the lower side of the flow path partition wall 50 to the right by 90° and sending it into the communication hole 51 .

The above results show that, according to the gas mixer 101 of this embodiment, from the upper side of the communication hole 51, half of the mixed gas 48a of the mixed gas 48 flowing in from the right side of the partition wall 50 and half of the mixed gas 48 flowing in from the left side flow in. The mixed gas 49c of the half of the mixed gas 49 similarly flows from the lower side of the communication hole 51 into the mixed gas 49a of the half of the mixed gas 49 which flows in from the right side of the partition wall 50 and the half of the mixed gas 48 which flows in from the left side. The mixed gas 48c. Also, from the right side of the communicating hole 51, the mixed gas 48d of half of the mixed gas 48 flowing in from the lower side of the partition wall 50 and the mixed gas 49b of half of the mixed gas 49 flowing in from the lower side flow in. On the left side of 51, mixed gas 48b which is half of the mixed gas 48 which flows in from the upper side of the partition wall 50, and mixed gas 49d which is half of the mixed gas 49 which flows in from the upper side flow. Therefore, for example, when a mixed gas with a high concentration of city gas is supplied to the partition wall 50 from the right side and a mixed gas with a high water vapor concentration is supplied from the left side, the concentration of the components constituting the mixed gas tends to be spatially obvious. Also in the case of the concentration distribution, since half of the amount is supplied from the upper and lower sides of the communication hole 51, the deviation of the concentration distribution in space can be eliminated, and the solid line can be made uniform. In other words, since there are many places where the mixed gas with high city gas concentration and the mixed gas with high water vapor concentration contact each other, the concentration distribution in space can be made uniform. As a result, unevenness in the concentration of the mixed gas supplied to the end portion 52 (see FIG. 1 ) of the reforming catalyst layer 12 through the catalyst pipe 42 can be eliminated, whereby the concentration of the reformed gas can be made spatially uniform. change. Furthermore, due to the effect of the gas mixer 101 on improving the mixing state of the mixed gas, the mixing state of the city gas and water vapor in the mixed gas can be improved. Furthermore, since the heat capacity of the gas mixer 101 can be reduced by adopting the structure composed of the partition wall 50, the flow path defining members 45a to 45d, and the flow path defining members 46a to 46d, it is possible to provide the hydrogen generator 100 with excellent responsiveness.

Here, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where one mixer 101 is arranged in the disk-shaped space 41 is described, but it is not limited to such a form, and a form in which a plurality of mixers are arranged may also be employed.

5 is a schematic view of the internal structure of another gas mixer 102 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 5(a) is a plan view of the gas mixer 102, and FIG. 5(b) is a cross-sectional view of the gas mixer 102. In addition, in FIG. 5( a ), thick solid lines indicate the following upper flow path defining members 45 a to 45 d in the gas mixer 102 , and thin solid lines and dashed lines represent flow path defining members 53 a to 45 d disposed on the lower side. 53d and 54a-54d. In addition, in FIG.5(a) and FIG.5(b), the same code|symbol is attached|subjected to the component similar to the component shown in FIG.2(a) and FIG.2(b).

As shown in Fig. 5(a) and Fig. 5(b), in another gas mixer 102 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, a gas mixer 101 equivalent to that shown in Fig. 2(a) and Fig. 2(b) is provided. A structure with secondary overlaps in the direction of the central axis C. That is, in this gas mixer 102, the first gas mixer 101 composed of the partition wall 50, the flow path defining members 45a to 45d and the flow path defining members 46a to 46d, and the partition wall 58 and the flow path defining members The second gas mixer 101' composed of 53a to 53d and flow path defining members 54a to 54d has a double-layered structure with a disk-shaped partition plate 57 having a hole approximately the same diameter as the communication hole 51 in its center. . And as shown in Figure 5 (a), in the gas mixer 102, the positional relationship between the gas mixer 101 and the second gas mixer 101' has a rotation angle of 45°, and is formed in the direction of the central axis C. The gas mixer 101 and the second gas mixer 101' have a double-layered structure. Moreover, other points are the same as those of the other mixer 101 shown in FIG. 2( a ) and FIG. 2( b ).

According to another mixer 102 configured in this way, the mixed gas 47 passing through the ascending channel 9 can be divided into four parts in the direction of the central axis C by the partition wall 50 , the partition plate 57 , and the partition wall 58 . , that is, the mixed gas 48, the mixed gas 49, the mixed gas 55, and the mixed gas 56, and the mixed gas 48, the mixed gas 49, the mixed gas 55, and the mixed gas 56 are respectively defined by the flow path defining members 45a to 45d, the flow path The regulation members 46a to 46d, the flow path regulation members 53a to 53d, and the flow path regulation members 54a to 54d are respectively rotated by predetermined angles, so that the concentration of city gas and water vapor in the mixed gas supplied to the catalyst pipe 42 can be shifted. Homogenize further in space.

Also, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where four flow path defining members are arranged at intervals of 90° on one surface of the partition wall 50 (the partition wall 50 and the partition wall 58) has been described, but it is not limited to such a form. , a form in which a plurality of flow path defining members are arranged at arbitrary angular intervals may also be adopted. In this case, as the interval angle of the flow path defining members decreases, that is, the number of arranged flow path regulating members increases, the space between city gas and water vapor in the mixed gas supplied to the catalyst pipe 42 increases. The concentration distribution can be further homogenized.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the configuration of the gas mixer 103 in the case where eight flow path defining members are arranged on one surface of the partition wall 50 . In addition, in FIG. 6 , the upper flow path defining members 59 a to 59 h of the gas mixer 103 described below are indicated by solid lines, and the lower flow path defining members 60 a to 60 h are indicated by dotted lines. In addition, in FIG. 6, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected to the component similar to the component shown in FIG.2(a) and FIG.2(b).

As shown in FIG. 6 , in another gas mixer 103 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, eight flow path defining members 59 a to 59 h are provided on the upper side of the partition wall 50 . These flow path defining members 59a to 59h are provided on one surface of the partition wall 50, and the separation angle between adjacent flow path defining members is 45°. Also, as shown in FIG. 6 , in this gas mixer 103 , a flow path defining member 60 a to a flow path defining member 60 h are provided on the lower side of the partition wall 50 . Also, these flow path defining members 60a to 60h are arranged on one surface of the partition wall 50 in the same manner as the flow path defining members 59a to 59h, and the adjacent The prescribed angle between the flow path defining members was 45°. Also, other points are the same as the other mixers shown in Fig. 2(a) and Fig. 2(b). In this way, the spatial concentration distribution of city gas and water vapor in the mixed gas supplied to the catalyst pipe 42 can be further made uniform by increasing the number of flow path defining members.

Also, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2( a), the shape of the flow path defining member is made into a gently curved shape, but the shape of the flow path defining member is not limited to such a curved shape, and may be It can be made into simpler or more complex shapes according to the flow rate of the mixed gas provided and the ease of flow.

In addition, in this embodiment, the form in which city gas is used as a raw material containing at least organic matter composed of carbon and hydrogen is described, but the type of raw material used in the present invention is not limited, even for alcohol, LPG or kerosene The case where it is a raw material is also effective. In particular, when liquid fuel such as alcohol or kerosene is used and mixed with water to evaporate it, since the spatial concentration distribution of these raw materials and water vapor tends to be non-uniform, the present invention is an extremely effective technique.

Implementation form 2

Next, in Embodiment 2 of the present invention, a gas mixer is arranged between, for example, a flow channel for supplying a reformed gas through which a supplied mixed gas flows and a reaction part where a steam reforming reaction for generating a reformed gas is carried out. A description will be given of a gas mixer that improves the mixing state of the mixed gas in the vertical direction.

First, the basic structure and operation of a hydrogen generator 200 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 7 .

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of a hydrogen generator 200 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In addition, the arrows shown in FIG. 7 indicate the flow directions of gases such as raw materials and water vapor.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the hydrogen generator 200 of the present embodiment has the same structure as the hydrogen generator 100 shown in the first embodiment, and has a multiple concentric cylindrical structure. That is, the hydrogen generator 200 includes a burner 16 for generating combustion gas in a high-temperature state for advancing the steam reforming reaction, and is heated by the burner 16 while supplying water to generate wet water vapor or water vapor. heaters 17 and 18. In addition, this hydrogen generator 200 is the same as the case of the hydrogen generator 100 of Embodiment 1 shown in FIG. In a plurality of annular spaces formed by a plurality of concentric cylinders 19 to 28 in the center, the combustion gas flow path 29 to which the high-temperature combustion gas generated by the burner 16 passes is used for the mixed gas of raw materials and water vapor. A gas mixer 201 for mixing them into a homogeneously mixed state before the steam reforming reaction, a reforming catalyst layer 31 for heating to a predetermined reaction temperature to carry out the steam reforming reaction, and making the reforming catalyst layer A heat recovery layer 32 for recovering heat by lowering the temperature of the reformed gas in a high-temperature state generated in 31, and a reforming catalyst for reducing the concentration of carbon monoxide in the reformed gas cooled by the heat recovery layer 32 by a predetermined chemical reaction layer 33, a gas mixer 202 having the same structure as the gas mixer 201 for fully mixing the reformed gas whose carbon monoxide concentration has been reduced by the reforming catalyst layer 33 and the air taken in from the air supply unit 34 for supplying the selective oxidation reaction, And the selective oxidation catalyst layer 37 for further reducing the concentration of carbon monoxide in the reformed gas that is thoroughly mixed with the air passing through the gas mixer 202 by selective oxidation reaction. In addition, in the present embodiment, a form in which a plurality of annular spaces are constituted by a plurality of concentric cylinders 19 to 28 is shown, but the space corresponding to the annular spaces is not limited as long as it is a concentric cylinder. It is based on the form of using concentric cylinders to form a circular space.

As described above, in the hydrogen generator 200 of the present embodiment, above the reforming catalyst layer 31 in the annular space formed by the concentric cylinders 20 and 21, there is a device for sufficiently supplying the supplied raw material and water vapor. Mixed Gas mixer 201 is a feature of the present invention. The gas mixer 201 has a verifiable annular shape in the annular space formed by the concentric cylinders 20 and 21, and is fixed in the annular space formed by the concentric cylinders 20 and 21 by a predetermined fixing means. at a fixed position above the reforming catalyst layer 31 . In addition, in the hydrogen generator 200 of this embodiment, a catalyst for sufficiently mixing the supplied reformed gas and air is arranged below the selective oxidation catalyst layer 37 in the annular space formed by the concentric cylinders 26 and 27. The gas mixer 202 which characterizes the present invention. The gas mixer 202 has an annular shape that can be checked in the annular space formed by the concentric cylinders 26 and 27, and is fixed in the annular space formed by the concentric cylinders 26 and 27 by a predetermined fixing means. at a predetermined position below the oxidation catalyst layer 37 . The configurations of the gas mixer 201 and the gas mixer 202 will be described in detail below with the gas mixer 202 as a representative.

In the hydrogen generator 200 of the present embodiment configured in this way, the water used in the steam reforming reaction is supplied to the heater 17 or the heater 18, at least a part thereof is vaporized, and the water discharged from the heater 17 or the heater 18 ( Warm water) is mixed with city gas as a raw material in a mixing part not particularly shown in FIG. Fully vaporized when moving in space, mixed with city gas. Then, the mixed gas of the city gas and water vapor is supplied to the gas mixer 201 , is thoroughly mixed by the gas mixer 201 , and then supplied to the reforming catalyst layer 31 . The effect of the gas mixer 201 on improving the mixing state of the mixed gas will be described in detail below using the gas mixer 202 as a representative.

A mixed gas obtained by sufficiently mixing city gas and water vapor by the gas mixer 201 is supplied to the reforming catalyst layer 31 . The reforming catalyst layer 31 is heated by the combustion gas flowing through the combustion gas channel 29 and used in the ongoing steam reforming reaction to generate a hydrogen-rich reformed gas from the mixed gas. Then, the reformed gas generated by the steam reforming reaction is cooled to a predetermined temperature by the heat recovery layer 32 and then supplied to the reforming catalyst layer 33 . Most of the carbon monoxide contained in the reformed gas is then removed by the reforming reaction carried out in the reforming catalyst layer 33 .

The reformed gas after removing most of the carbon monoxide by the reforming catalyst layer 33 is then supplied to the gas mixer 202 for thoroughly mixing the air taken in from the air supply unit 34 and the reformed gas passing through the reforming catalyst layer 33 . Then, the reformed gas is sufficiently mixed with the air supplied from the air supply unit 34 while passing through the gas mixer 202 , and thereafter supplied to the selective oxidation catalyst layer 37 . The effect of the gas mixer 202 on improving the mixing state of the reformed gas and air will be described later together with the gas mixer 201 described above.

The reformed gas sufficiently mixed with air by the gas mixer 202 is supplied to the selective oxidation catalyst layer 37 in order to remove almost all of the small amount of carbon monoxide therein. Then, by the selective oxidation reaction carried out in the selective oxidation catalyst layer 37, almost all (a small amount) of carbon monoxide contained in the reformed gas is removed by combustion of air. Also, the reformed gas from which carbon monoxide has been sufficiently removed is supplied to the fuel cell and used in a chemical reaction for power generation of the fuel cell. Also, the remaining reformed gas not used for power generation by the fuel cell is supplied to the combustor 16 and reused to generate combustion gas in the combustor 16 .

Next, the structure of the gas mixer 202 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of a gas mixer 202 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In addition, in FIG. 8 , the description of the following inner flow path defining members 62c to 62d and outer flow path defining members 63a to 63d located near the front of the paper of the gas mixer 202 is omitted. Also, in FIG. 8 , the visible portions of the inner flow path defining members 62a to 62b and the outer flow path defining members 63a to 63b are indicated by solid lines, and the portions that are not visible are indicated by dotted lines.

The structure of the gas mixer 202 will be described in detail below by taking the gas mixer 202 as an example.

As shown in FIG. 8 , the gas mixer 202 of this embodiment has a gas mixer 202 that divides the air-supplied reformed gas 64 raised through the annular space formed between the concentric cylinder 26 and the concentric cylinder 27 shown in FIG. The reformed gas 65 and the reformed gas 66 are a cylindrical mixing concentric cylinder 61 divided into two in the left-right direction (radial direction). Between the concentric cylinder 61 for mixing and the concentric cylinder 26 shown in FIG. The inside flow path regulation members 62c and 62d on the front side of the surface are not shown), so that the flow direction of the reformed gas 65 can be rotated counterclockwise toward the rising direction of the reformed gas 64 . Also as shown in FIG. 8, between the concentric cylinder 61 for mixing and the concentric cylinder 27 shown in FIG. The members 63a to 63d (the flow path defining members 63c and 64c on the outer side on the front side are not shown in the figure) can make the direction in which the reformed gas 66 flows clockwise in the upward direction of the reformed gas 64 . These mixing concentric cylinders 61, inner flow path defining members 62a to 62d, and outer flow path defining members 63a to 63d are configured to divide the flow of the reformed gas 64 into the reformed gases 65 and 66, and at the same time have The gas mixer 202 is a gas mixer 202 for defining a flow path in which the gas flows of the separated reformed gases 65 and 66 rotate counterclockwise with respect to the central axis c.

In the gas mixer 202 of the present embodiment, the inner flow path defining members 62a to 62d and the outer flow path defining members 63a to 63d are respectively constituted by predetermined lateral walls. And these inner flow path defining members 62a to 62d and outer flow path defining members 63a to 63d are respectively arranged so that the space between the concentric cylinder 61 for mixing and the concentric cylinder 26 and the space between the concentric cylinder 61 for mixing and the concentric cylinder 26 can be arranged respectively. The space between the cylinders 27 is divided into 4 sections in the circumferential direction, and in each of the 4 sections, a direction toward the rising direction of the reformed gas 64 is formed, and it faces 90°C in the opposite direction (left-handed or right-handed) in the circumferential direction. spiral shape. For example, when focusing on a part of the above-mentioned four divisions in which the inner flow path defining member 62a and the outer flow path defining member 63a are arranged, the outer flow path defining member is arranged at a position facing the lower end of the inner flow path defining member 62a. The upper end of 63a and the lower end of the outer flow path defining member 63a are arranged at positions so as to face the inner flow path defining member 62a. Furthermore, the interval angle between the upper end and the lower end of the inner flow path defining member 62a is set at 90°, and the interval angle between the upper end and the lower end of the outer flow path defining member 63a is also set at 90°. In this manner, the gas mixer 202 of the present embodiment is configured so that the gas streams of the reformed gases 65 and 66 divided by the mixing concentric cylinder 61 can rotate in opposite directions by 90° around the central axis C. In addition, the shapes of the inner flow path defining members 62a to 62d and the outer flow path defining members 63a to 63d are preferably the same shape in order to equalize the flow rate of the reformed gas flowing into each flow path.

Next, the function of the gas mixer 202 in Embodiment 2 of the present invention to improve the mixed state of the reformed gas will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

9 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the flow of the reformed gas in the gas mixer 202, and FIG. 9(a) is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the flow of the reformed gas 65 divided inside the concentric cylinder 61 for mixing. Fig. 9(b) is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the gas flow of the reformed gas 66 divided outside the concentric cylinder 61 for mixing. 9( a ) and FIG. 9( b ) show vertical cross-sectional views when viewed from the same direction as the vertical cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 8 . 9( a ) and 9 ( b ), the flows of the reformed gas 65 and the reformed gas 66 flowing in from the downstream of the mixing concentric cylinder 61 are conveniently indicated by arrows, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 9(a), in the gas mixer 202 of this embodiment, the reformed gas 65 divided inside the concentric cylinder 61 for mixing rises through the space between the concentric cylinders 26 and 27, After the inner inner flow path defining members 62a and 62b are rotated 90° to the left about the central axis C, they are discharged from above the gas mixer 202 . On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9( b ), in the gas mixer 202 of the present embodiment, the space between the concentric cylinders 26 and 27 goes up and the reformer divided by the concentric cylinder 61 for mixing is divided outside it. The gas 66 is discharged from above the gas mixer 202 after being rotated clockwise by 90° around the central axis C by the outer and inner flow path defining members 63a and 63b. In this way, the reformed gas 64 introduced into the gas mixer 202 is divided into two reformed gases 65 and 66 by means of the mixing concentric cylinder 61, the inner flow path defining members 62a to 62d, and the outer flow path defining members 63a to 63d. The airflow shown in the figure rotates counterclockwise by 90° respectively in the circumferential direction, and then the two split reformed gases 65, 66 merge into one airflow again and are mixed.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for more easily understanding the operation of the gas mixer 202 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 9 . In addition, FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a state observed when a viewpoint is set on the central axis of the gas mixer 202 shown in FIG. 9 and rotated by 360°. Also, in FIG. 10 , the solid lines represent the inner flow path defining members 62 a to 62 d that are visually recognizable from the viewpoint on the central axis C of the gas mixture 202 , and the dashed lines represent the distance from the central axis C of the gas mixer 202 . Outer flow path defining members 63a to 63d whose viewpoints cannot be directly visually recognized. Moreover, the division position which divides the circumference of the gas mixer 202 into four 90 degrees is shown by the dotted line shown as 0 degree - 270 degrees.

As shown in FIG. 10, in the gas mixer 202 of this embodiment, the reformed gas 65 flowing through the inner side of the mixing concentric cylinder 61 is rotated 90° to the left through the inside of the gas mixer 202, and flows through the mixing concentric cylinder 61. The reformed gas 66 outside the cylinder 61 passes through the inside of the gas mixer 202 and rotates 90° to the right, is discharged from above each gas mixer 202 , and then mixed at the outlet of the gas mixer 202 . In this case, the reformed gas discharged from, for example, the outlet position I at 90° as shown in FIG. reformed gas. Also, as can be seen from FIG. 10, the fluid discharged from the gas outlet position J-L is, like the fluid discharged from the outlet position I, a mixed gas mixed with half of the reformed gases flowing in from positions deviated from 180°. . That is, according to the gas mixer 202 of the present embodiment, half of the mixed gases flowing in from positions 180° apart can be mixed by the inner flow path defining members 62a to 62d and the outer flow path defining members 63a to 63d. , so the mixed gas flowing through the 180° opposite positions of the annular flow path constituted by the concentric cylinders 26 and 27 can be effectively mixed. In other words, as in the case of the first embodiment, since the contact places of the two mixed gases present at positions keeping a distance from each other are many, the spatial concentration distribution can be made uniform.

Moreover, according to the gas mixer 202 of the present embodiment, since the inner flow path defining members 62a to 62d and the outer flow path defining members 63a to 63d in the gas mixer 202 are constituted by horizontal walls, the heat capacity is small, and corresponding to start-up and The standby time required for load fluctuations can be shortened. In addition, since the gas mixer 202 of this embodiment has excellent mixing performance, the two-stage mixing layers 35, 36 and the selective oxidation catalyst layers 37, 38 required by the existing hydrogen generator 300 can be simplified to one stage. Gas mixer 202 and selective oxidation catalyst layer 37 . Therefore, the heat capacity of the hydrogen generator 200 can be further reduced, and the supply amount of the air for the selective oxidation reaction can be suppressed to the minimum necessary, so it is possible to suppress unnecessary waste of the generated hydrogen due to the air for the selective oxidation reaction. , a highly efficient hydrogen generator 200 can be obtained.

Here, in the present embodiment, the gas mixer 202 is provided with four inner flow path defining members 62a to 62d and four outer flow path defining members 63a to 63d on both sides of the mixing concentric cylinder 61. Description, but not limited to such a form, for example, as shown in FIG. 11 , can also be used, with 8 pieces of internal flow path regulation members 67a-67h and 8 pieces arranged at equal intervals of 45° on both sides of the concentric cylinder 61 for mixing, as shown in FIG. A form in which eight outer flow path defining members 68a to 68h are arranged at equal intervals of 45°. In this case, the inner flow path defining members 67a to 67h and the outer flow path defining members 68a to 68h can respectively rotate the flows of the reformed gases 65 and 66 shown in FIG. 8 by 45° against each other. Therefore, by adopting such a member, as in the flow of the reformed gas indicated by the two arrows in FIG. Mixes effectively.

Also, as described above, in this embodiment, the gas mixer is provided with four inner flow path defining members 62a to 62d and four outer flow path defining members 63a to 63d on both sides of the mixing concentric cylinder 61. It has been described, but it is not limited to such a form. For example, as shown in FIG. And eight outer flow path defining members 68a to 68h arranged at equal intervals of 90°. In this case, the inner flow path defining members 67a to 67h and the outer flow path defining members 68a to 68h can respectively rotate the flows of the reformed gases 65 and 66 shown in FIG. 8 in opposite directions by 90°. Therefore, by adopting such a member, like the flow of the fluid indicated by the two arrows in FIG. Mix more efficiently.

That is to say, in this embodiment, by increasing or decreasing the number of inner flow path defining members and outer flow path defining members in the gas mixer 202 according to the type of reformed gas and the required mixing state, better gas flow can be obtained. Effect. Also, the shapes of these inner flow path defining members and outer flow path defining members are not limited to the curved shapes shown in FIGS. A combination of linear and curved shapes.

13 schematically shows the mixing angle of the mixed gas of the first fluid (such as raw material) and the second fluid (such as water vapor) in the gas mixer 201 of this embodiment and the case of using the mixed gas passing through the gas mixer 201. A graph showing the relationship between the conversion rate of the reforming reaction under the reforming catalyst layer. Here, the curve a in FIG. 13 represents the relationship between the rotation angle of the mixed gas and the conversion rate of the reforming reaction. In FIG. 13, the vertical axis represents the reforming reaction conversion rate (%) of the reforming catalyst layer, and the horizontal axis represents the mixing angle (°) of the mixed gas of the first fluid and the second fluid.

As can be seen from FIG. 13 , by providing the gas mixer 201 upstream of the reforming catalyst layer 31 , the reaction conversion rate of the steam reforming reaction can be increased, and reformer efficiency can be improved. In particular, as shown in FIG. 13 , the highest conversion rate was obtained when the rotation angle of the mixed gas was 90°. However, when the rotation angle of the mixed gas is less than 45°, although the conversion rate can be improved, the improvement effect is relatively small. Therefore, in the gas mixer 201 of this embodiment, the rotation angle of the mixed gas formed by the inner flow path defining member and the outer flow path defining member is set to be 45° or more and 90° or less.

In addition, in this embodiment, the form in which the inner flow path defining member and the outer flow path defining member are respectively constituted by the transverse wall is illustrated, but in this case, three-dimensional molding of the transverse wall is necessary, so it is possible to make the gas mixer high manufacturing cost. Therefore, instead of forming the inner flow path defining member and the outer flow path defining member with transverse walls, respectively, the inner flow path defining member and the outer flow path defining member may be formed of rod materials such as round rods and square bars. Since three-dimensional molding of rods such as round rods and square rods is relatively easy, by adopting such a structure, it is possible to avoid increasing the manufacturing cost of the gas mixer.

In addition, in this embodiment, the structure and operation of the gas mixer 202 have been described, but the structure and operation of the gas mixer 201 are the same as those of the gas mixer 202 . In addition, in this embodiment, a gas mixer for mixing the raw material supplied to the reforming catalyst layer 31 with water vapor is provided as an example, and a gas mixer for mixing the reformed gas supplied to the selective oxidation catalyst layer 37 with the water vapor is also provided. The form of the gas mixer 202 for air mixing is not limited to this form, and a form in which only one of the gas mixers is provided may be adopted depending on the required performance of the hydrogen generator.

Implementation form 3

Embodiment 3 of the present invention differs from the structure of hydrogen generator 200 shown in Embodiment 2 only in the internal structure of the gas mixer. Therefore, in this third embodiment, only the internal structure of the gas mixer will be described.

14 is a schematic view of the internal structure of the gas mixer 205 according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention, FIG. 14(a) is a top view of the gas mixer 205, and FIG. 14(b) is a side view of the gas mixer 205. 14( a ) and FIG. 14( b ), in order to explain the gas mixer 205 having an annular shape, a state in which it is developed in a planar shape is schematically shown. Again, in Fig. 14 (a), the concentric cylinder 26, the concentric cylinder 27, and the visible part of the mixing concentric cylinder 61 are represented by solid lines, and the concentric cylinder 26, the concentric cylinder 27, and the mixing The invisible parts of the concentric cylinders 61 are indicated by dotted lines. Also, in FIG. 14( b ), the inner flow path defining members 62a to 62d on the anterior side of the paper are shown by solid lines, and the outer flow path defining members 63a to 63d on the rear side of the paper are shown by dotted lines. In addition, in FIG. 14, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected to the same component as the gas mixer 202 shown in FIG. In addition, in the description using FIG. 14 , it is assumed that a mixed gas of raw materials such as city gas and water vapor, or a fluid such as reformed gas mixed with reformed gas and air flows upward from the bottom of FIG. 14 .

The gas mixer 205 shown in this embodiment basically has an internal structure substantially the same as that of the gas mixer 202 shown in FIG. 8 . That is, the gas mixer 205 of the present embodiment is provided with four inner flow path defining members 62a to 62d and four outer flow path defining members 62a to 62d on both sides of the partition wall 61, as shown in FIG. 14(a) and FIG. 14(b). Flow path defining members 63a to 63d.

However, in the gas mixer 205 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14( a ) and FIG. 14( b ), each outlet portion 69 of fluid such as a mixed gas defined by the inside flow path defining members 62 a to 62 d is connected to the About half of each of the outlets 70 of the mixed gas and other fluids defined by the outer flow path defining members 63a to 63d are respectively closed by the rectangular baffles 71, which is different from the structure of the gas mixer 202 shown in the second embodiment. . That is, in the gas mixer 205 of this embodiment, the baffles 71 are provided on the above-mentioned outlets 69, 70 of the gas mixer 205 to reduce the opening area of the outlets 69, 70. The structure of the gas mixer 202 shown in the second embodiment is different. In other respects, the structure of the gas mixer 202 shown in the second embodiment is the same.

In the gas mixer 205 shown in this embodiment, as described above, for example, the outlet portion 69 of a fluid such as a mixed gas defined by the inside flow path defining members 62c and 62d shown in FIG. The opening area of the outlet portion 69 is reduced by about half. By thus reducing the opening area of the outlet portion 69 and the other outlet portion corresponding thereto to about half, the flow rate of the fluid discharged from the gas mixer 205 can be increased. Furthermore, with such a structure, the flow velocity of both the fluid flowing inside the mixing concentric cylinder 61 and the fluid flowing outside discharged from the gas mixer 205 can be increased, so that the mixing state of fluids such as the mixed gas can be further improved.

In addition, in this embodiment, the size of the baffle plate 71 has been described as a size that can close, for example, about half of the area of the outlet portion 69. The size of the baffle plate 71 is arbitrarily set for the mixed state of the fluid such as the mixed gas.

Embodiment 4

In Embodiment 4 of the present invention, only the structure of the gas mixer is different from the structure of the hydrogen generator 200 shown in Embodiment 2. Therefore, in Embodiment 4 of the present invention, as in Embodiment 3, only the internal structure of the gas mixer will be described.

15 is a schematic view of the internal structure of a gas mixer 206 according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention, FIG. 15(a) is a top view of the gas mixer 206, and FIG. 15(b) is a side view of the gas mixer 206. In addition, in FIG. 15(a) and FIG. 15(b), as in the case of Embodiment 3, it is schematically shown in order to explain the state when the gas mixer having a ring shape is developed into a planar shape. . Again, in Fig. 15 (a), the visible part of concentric cylinder 26, concentric cylinder 27, and mixing concentric cylinder 61 is represented with solid line, concentric cylinder 26, concentric cylinder 27, and mixing are used The invisible part of the concentric cylinder 61 is indicated by dashed lines. Also, in FIG. 15(b), the inner flow path defining members 62a to 62d on the front side on the paper are shown by solid lines, and the outer flow path defining members 63a to 63d on the rear side on the paper are shown by dotted lines. In addition, in FIG. 15, the same components as those of the gas mixer 202 shown in FIG. 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

The gas mixer 206 shown in this embodiment basically has the same internal structure as that of the gas mixer 205 shown in the third embodiment. That is, the gas mixer 206 of this embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 15( a ) and 15 ( b ), four inner flow path defining members 62 a to 62 d and four outer flow path defining members 63 a to 63 d are provided on both surfaces of the mixing concentric cylinder 61 .

However, in the gas mixer 206 of this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 15(a) and Fig. 15(b), a There is only a flow path on the inner side (that is, the side where the inner flow path defining members 62a to 62d are arranged) or the outer side (that is, the side where the outer flow path defining members 63a to 63d are arranged) of the mixing concentric cylinder 61 The opening 72 or the baffle plate 74 of the opening 73 opened on the flow path of the mixing cylinder 61, and the opening 75 is provided at a predetermined position near the above-mentioned outlet of the concentric cylinder 61 for mixing. This point is consistent with the gas mixing shown in Embodiment 3. The structure of the device 205 is different. Here, as shown in FIG. 15( a ), openings 72 and 73 of the baffle 74 are alternately formed in the longitudinal direction of the baffle 74 on the concentric cylinder 26 side and the concentric cylinder 27 side. Also, the opening areas of the openings 72 and 73 are the same as those in the third embodiment, and are approximately half of the opening area of the outlet of the flow path defined by the inner flow path defining members 62a and 62b, for example. 15(b), openings 75 are formed at positions corresponding to the openings 72 and 73 at the end of the mixing concentric cylinder 61 on the outlet side, and are approximately rectangular. That is, in the gas mixer 206 of this embodiment, the baffle 74 is arranged on the above-mentioned outlet portion of the gas mixer 206, the openings 72 and 73 are formed on the baffle 74, and the concentric cylinder 61 for mixing The opening 75 is formed on the top, which is different from the structure of the gas mixer 205 shown in the third embodiment. In other respects, the structure of the gas mixer 205 shown in the third embodiment is the same.

In the gas mixer 206 shown in this embodiment, the fluid flowing through the flow path defined by the inner flow path defining members 62a and 62b is only discharged from the opening 75, and at this time, it is different from the flow defined by the outer flow path defining members 63d and 63a. The fluid in the gas flow path is mixed, and then discharged to the outside of the gas mixer 206 through the opening 73 . That is to say, if the gas mixer 206 of this embodiment is adopted, the fluid passing through the inner and outer sides of the mixing concentric cylinder 61 is forcibly mixed when passing through the opening 72 and the openings 73 and 75, so that the mixed gas can be further improved. mixed state of fluids.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the opening area of the openings 72 and 73 has been described as being about half the opening area of the outlet of the flow path defined by the inner flow path defining members 62b and 62c, for example. The configuration is not limited to this, and the opening areas of the openings 72 and 73 may be arbitrarily set according to the desired mixing state of fluids such as a mixed gas. In addition, the opening area and shape of the opening 75 can be set arbitrarily according to the desired mixing state of the fluid such as the mixed gas.

However, the gas mixers 201, 202 to 206 shown in Embodiments 2 to 4 are very compact, so even if a plurality of gas mixers are arranged in series to form a gas mixer assembly, it can be arranged in Inside of the hydrogen generator 200 . In this case, since the gas mixers are assembled in series, the mixing state of fluids such as mixed gas can be further improved.

Fig. 16 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the first gas mixer assembly 207 formed by combining the gas mixer 203 and the gas mixer 206 in series according to Embodiments 2 and 4 of the present invention. In addition, in FIG. 16, similarly to the case of the third embodiment, a state in which the first gas mixer assembly having an annular shape is developed in a planar shape is schematically shown for explanation.

In the first gas mixer assembly 207 shown in FIG. 16, the gas mixer 206 shown in Embodiment 4 is arranged on the upstream side of a fluid such as mixed gas, and the gas mixer 203 shown in FIG. 11 is arranged on the downstream side. The structures of these gas mixers 203 and 206 are as described in the second and fourth embodiments. Thus, by arranging a plurality of gas mixers 203 and 206 in series, the gas mixing performance of each gas mixer 203 and 206 is added, so that the mixing state of fluids such as mixed gas can be further improved.

Fig. 17 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the second gas mixer assembly 208 formed by combining the gas mixer 203 and the gas mixer 206 in series in Embodiments 2 and 4 of the present invention.

In the second gas mixer assembly 208 shown in FIG. In the case of independent arrangement, the gas mixer 203 and the gas mixer 206 are different from the above-mentioned case of the first gas mixer assembly 207 in that the gas mixer 203 and the gas mixer 206 share one mixing concentric cylinder 76 . Adopting such a structure can simplify the structure of the gas mixer assembly 207 .

As mentioned above, if adopt Embodiment 1～4 of the present invention, then can constitute whole gas mixer with the thin plate such as stainless steel, therefore can reduce its weight to for example below 300g, its heat capacity also can be reduced to for example 0.5kJ/kg. ℃ or so. Therefore, the amount of heat required for heating the gas mixer can be reduced to, for example, about 26 kJ, so that the delay in the start-up time of the hydrogen generator can be shortened to, for example, 1/5 or less. Also, since the amount of heat required for heating the gas mixer is reduced to, for example, about 26 kJ, energy for fuel cell system operation can be saved.

And, if adopt Embodiment 1～4 of the present invention, then the heat capacity of gas mixer can be reduced to less than 1/5 of the heat capacity of the gas mixer filled with ceramic balls etc. resulting in condensation of water vapor. With this, it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of a decrease in the S/C ratio when the hydrogen generator is started. Furthermore, the catalytic performance of the reforming catalyst can be stably maintained for a long period of time.

Also, according to Embodiments 1 to 4 of the present invention, the mixed gas of city gas and water vapor supplied to the reforming catalyst layer and the reformed gas of the mixed air supplied to the selective oxidation catalyst layer can be greatly improved by using the gas mixer. Therefore, the reformed gas can be efficiently generated in the reforming catalyst layer, and at the same time, the amount of the selective oxidation catalyst can be limited to the minimum. Therefore, the reforming catalyst layer and the selective oxidation catalyst layer can be miniaturized. In addition, it is possible to prevent wasteful combustion of hydrogen in the reformed gas in the selective oxidation catalyst layer, and thus it is possible to provide a highly efficient hydrogen generator.

Industrial applicability

The hydrogen generator of the present invention is useful as a hydrogen generator having a light-weight, high-performance gas mixer with a small heat capacity, and excellent in hydrogen generation efficiency and corresponding performance.

Also, according to the present invention, temporal and spatial concentration unevenness in a fluid such as a mixed gas of raw material and water vapor supplied to the reforming catalyst layer can be eliminated. And as a result, temporal and spatial uniformity of the reformed gas concentration can be ensured. Therefore, the reforming catalyst layer and the carbon monoxide removing catalyst layer such as the reforming reactor arranged downstream can be effectively used, and can greatly contribute to the reduction of the amount of each catalyst layer and the miniaturization of the hydrogen generator.

Claims (13)

1. A hydrogen generator, characterized in that, possesses A mixed gas channel through which a mixed gas containing two or more components flows, The first flow path and the second flow path in which the respective ends are branched from the mixed gas flow path and the terminals meet each other, a first rotating device provided in the first flow path for turning the mixed gas flowing in the first flow path in a first direction, a second rotating device provided in the second flow path for turning the mixed gas flowing through the second flow path in a second direction which is the opposite direction to the first direction; and A hydrogen generating unit that chemically reacts the mixed gas flowing out from the terminals of the merged first flow path and the second flow path to generate hydrogen. 2. The hydrogen generator according to claim 1, wherein the first flow path and the second flow path are formed so that the mixed gas can flow from the terminal end of the first flow path to the second flow path. Turning in the first direction and turning in the second direction while flowing in a plane perpendicular to the outflow direction of the mixed gas from the terminal end of the second flow path. 3. The hydrogen generator according to claim 2, wherein: The first flow path and the second flow path have central axes that coincide with each other, and their outer peripheral surfaces are open and hollow with a circular opening in the center. The outer peripheral surface constitutes an inlet as a starting end, and the opening Consists of an outlet as a terminal, The first rotating device divides the inner space of the first flow path in a direction along the central axis, and from the periphery of the inner space inward, the terminal end is biased toward the first direction from the radial direction to the starting end. Consisting of a number of partition walls extending from the ground, The second rotating device divides the inner space of the second flow path in a direction along the central axis, and from the periphery of the inner space inward, the terminal is offset from the radial direction to the second direction from the starting end. It is composed of multiple partition walls that extend off the ground. 4. The hydrogen generating device according to claim 3, wherein the offset of the end of the partition wall relative to the start is in the range of 45° to 90° in the rotation angle around the central axis . 5. The hydrogen generator according to claim 2, wherein the first flow path and the second flow path and the first rotating device and the second rotating device are arranged along the center The axes are respectively formed in plural. 6. The hydrogen generator according to claim 1, wherein the first flow path and the second flow path are formed so that the mixed gas can flow from the terminal end of the first flow path to the second flow path. Turning in the first direction and turning in the second direction while flowing in a cylindrical plane in a direction parallel to the outflow direction of the mixed gas from the terminal end of the second flow path. 7. The hydrogen generator according to claim 6, wherein the first flow path and the second flow path are each formed in a cylindrical shape that shares the central axis as a central axis and has an annular cross section. , each end face on one side constitutes the inlet as the beginning, while each end face on the other side constitutes the outlet as the end, The first rotating device is composed of a plurality of partition walls that spirally partition the cylindrical internal space of the first flow path and rotate in the first direction, The second rotating device is composed of a plurality of partition walls that spirally partition the cylindrical internal space of the first flow path and rotate in the second direction. 8 . The hydrogen generating device according to claim 7 , wherein the rotation angle of the partition wall from the beginning to the end is a rotation angle in the range of 45° to 90°. 9 . The hydrogen generator according to claim 8 , wherein an outlet portion of the swirling flow path partitioned by the partition wall is closed. 10 . 10. The hydrogen generating device according to claim 9, wherein the first flow path and the second flow path are separated and formed by a cylindrical partition wall, and the first flow path and the second flow path An outlet of the swirling channel in any of the channels is closed, and a portion of the partition wall near the closed outlet forms an opening. 11. The hydrogen generator according to claim 6, wherein a plurality of the first flow path and the second flow path are respectively formed along the central axis, and in the mixed gas flow path, Terminal ends of the first flow path and the second flow path located on the upstream side are connected to start ends of the first flow path and the second flow path located on the downstream side. 12. The hydrogen generator according to claim 1, wherein: The mixed gas is a mixed gas of an organic compound having at least carbon and hydrogen and water, the chemical reaction is a steam reforming reaction in which hydrogen is generated from the mixed gas of the organic compound and water, and the hydrogen generation unit is a reforming reaction part that generates hydrogen-rich reformed gas by utilizing the steam reforming reaction, The first rotating device and the second rotating device are disposed upstream of the reforming reaction section, The mixed gas flowing out from the terminals of the merged first flow path and the second flow path is supplied to the reforming reaction unit to generate hydrogen. 13. The hydrogen generator according to claim 1, wherein: The mixed gas is a mixed gas of the reformed gas and oxygen, and a selective oxidation reaction part for reducing carbon monoxide in the reformed gas by means of a selective oxidation reaction for converting carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide using oxygen is provided instead of the Hydrogen Generation Division, The first rotating device and the second rotating device are arranged upstream of the selective oxidation reaction part, The mixed gas flowing out from the terminal end of the merged first flow path and the second flow path is supplied to the selective oxidation reaction part to reduce carbon monoxide in the reformed gas.

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