JP2004010376A - CO removal device and fuel cell system - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a CO removing device and a fuel cell system in which a cooling system is made compact.
A structure is provided in which a CO removing device (3) supports a catalyst layer (14) filled with a selective catalyst layer for oxidizing CO in a hydrogen-rich gas with priority to hydrogen and a catalyst layer (14) having a plate-type heat pipe (18a) inside. It is configured by stacking a body and fins 13 that serve as a flow path for hydrogen-rich gas. Further, the cylindrical heat pipe 18b is penetrated in the laminating direction, and a part of the penetrated cylindrical heat pipe 18b is disposed in the heater 24 adjacent to the CO removing device 3.
[Selection diagram] FIG.

Description

[0001]
[Industrial applications]
The present invention relates to a fuel cell system having a carbon monoxide removing device, and more particularly to a structure for adjusting the temperature of the carbon monoxide removing device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a carbon monoxide removing device (hereinafter, referred to as a CO removing device), a method of selectively oxidizing CO using a catalyst as disclosed in JP-A-2000-203801 is known.
[0003]
This CO removal device is a catalyst device capable of heat exchange, and forms a catalyst portion by supporting a catalyst on a fin portion having a heat exchange function. In the catalyst section, a selective oxidation reaction accompanied by heat generation occurs, thereby reducing CO in the reformed gas. At this time, in order to generate an efficient oxidation reaction, it is necessary to maintain the catalyst section at the activation temperature. Therefore, a coolant flow path adjacent to the catalyst section is formed via the plate, and the temperature of the catalyst device is adjusted by flowing the coolant in a direction perpendicular to the flow of the reformed gas.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-203801, installation of the refrigerant flow path inside the CO removal device and installation of the refrigerant pipe outside the CO removal device are complicated, and the entire configuration size including the cooling configuration becomes large. There was a problem. Further, it is difficult to maintain the entire catalyst section at the activation temperature, and there is a problem that the area of the catalyst section needs to be increased. On the other hand, when a fuel cell system is used as a power source of a moving body such as an automobile, the volume that can be mounted is limited, and a reduction in the size of the fuel cell system is desired.
[0005]
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a CO removal device in which the configuration size is suppressed by simplifying the configuration of a cooling system, and a fuel cell system using the same.
[0006]
[Means for solving the problem]
The present invention provides a CO removing device including a catalyst layer filled with a selective catalyst layer that oxidizes CO in a hydrogen-rich gas in preference to hydrogen and a structure supporting the catalyst layer, the inside of which is formed by a heat pipe. I do.
[0007]
A heat pipe containing a working fluid composed of a gaseous phase and a liquid phase, when a part of the temperature of the catalyst layer rises above a predetermined temperature, the heat pipe rises above the predetermined temperature due to heat of evaporation of the working fluid. The temperature of the portion is reduced, and when the temperature of a portion of the catalyst layer is lower than a predetermined temperature, the temperature of the portion lower than the predetermined temperature from the heat of condensation of the working fluid is increased.
[0008]
Further, as a fuel cell system, a reformer that generates a hydrogen-rich gas containing CO by a reforming reaction using at least one of water or an oxygen-containing gas and a hydrocarbon fuel, and a catalyst layer that converts CO in the hydrogen-rich gas into a catalyst layer A CO removal device that oxidizes by the selective oxidation reaction in the above, a stack that performs power generation using hydrogen in a hydrogen-rich gas having a reduced CO concentration by the CO removal device, and a water or hydrocarbon fuel supplied to the reformer. And a heater for heating at least one. At this time, the CO removal device is provided with a heat pipe for adjusting the temperature of the catalyst layer, and the CO removal device and the heater are thermally connected by the heat pipe.
[0009]
[Action and effect]
By using a heat pipe to adjust the temperature of the catalyst layer, the temperature of the catalyst layer can be made uniform, so that the CO removing device can be made compact. Further, since it is not necessary to manage the supply, distribution, and recovery of the heat medium, the medium flow path outside the CO removing device can be simplified, and the configuration size can be suppressed.
[0010]
At this time, when a part of the catalyst layer rises above a predetermined temperature, the catalyst layer is cooled by the heat of evaporation of the working fluid, and when the temperature falls below the predetermined temperature, the catalyst layer is heated by the heat of condensation of the working fluid. Thereby, the temperature of the catalyst layer can be made uniform, and the configuration size of the system can be suppressed.
[0011]
The fuel cell system further includes a reformer, a CO removal device, a stack, and a heater for heating at least one of water and hydrocarbon fuel supplied to the reformer. At this time, the CO removing device is provided with a heat pipe for adjusting the temperature of the catalyst layer, and the CO removing device and the heater are thermally connected by the heat pipe. Thus, the heat generated in the CO removing device can be used in the heater without using a complicated refrigerant flow path, and the configuration of the fuel cell system can be made compact.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a reforming system used in the fuel cell system according to the first embodiment.
[0013]
The reforming system includes a reformer 1 that generates a reformed gas from a fuel gas composed of water, air, and a hydrocarbon fuel, a shift reactor 2 that reduces CO in the reformed gas, and a CO 2 in the reformed gas. It comprises a CO removing device 3 to reduce the energy and a stack 4 for generating electricity using hydrogen in the reformed gas.
[0014]
When performing the power generation operation, first, the reformer 1 reforms a hydrocarbon fuel such as gasoline to generate a reformed gas. At this time, CO is generated with the generation of hydrogen. For example, when gasoline is used, about 1.5% of CO is generated. Since CO significantly hinders power generation in the stack 4, it is necessary to supply the reformed gas to the stack 4 after reducing the CO concentration. Here, the CO concentration is reduced to about 10 ppm which does not hinder power generation.
[0015]
Therefore, the shift reactor 2 and the CO removing device 3 are arranged downstream of the reformer 1. In the shift reactor 2, the shift reaction (CO + H ₂ O → CO ₂ + H ₂ ) To reduce CO. The reformed gas having a low CO concentration is supplied to the CO removing device 3 to generate an oxidative reaction involving heat generation (CO + 1 / 2O). ₂ → CO ₂ ) To further reduce the CO concentration.
[0016]
The reformed gas with the reduced CO is supplied to the fuel electrode of the stack 4 and the air as the oxidant is supplied to the air electrode. This causes an electrochemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen between the electrodes of the stack 4 to generate an electromotive force.
[0017]
FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the CO removal device 3 used in such a fuel cell system. In the present embodiment, the CO removing device 3 is configured by a laminate 25 configured by alternately stacking the plate-type heat pipes 12 and the corrugated fins 13.
[0018]
In order to cause an oxidation reaction in the CO removal device 3, the temperature of the catalyst filled in the CO removal device 3 needs to be a catalyst activation temperature within a certain range. Therefore, in order to continuously generate the selective oxidation reaction of CO, it is necessary to transport the heat generated by the reaction to another place or site using a medium (refrigerant) and to disperse, recover, or dispose of the heat. is there.
[0019]
However, in the conventional method of transporting oxidizing heat by exchanging heat with the refrigerant in the CO removal device 3, it is necessary to install piping and a drive device for supplying and recovering the refrigerant, and the refrigerant is provided inside the reactor. Had to be distributed. For this reason, while the size of the fuel cell system is increased, when the fuel cell system is mounted on a moving body such as an automobile, there is a problem that the size of the system is limited and the compactness is desired.
[0020]
Further, the heat generated by the catalyst in the CO removal device 3 may be non-uniform in the direction of passage of the reformed gas and in the cross section of the passage. This is because the distribution of the catalyst is non-uniform, and the amount of CO contained in the reformed gas decreases with the oxidation reaction toward the downstream side. Accordingly, even if an attempt is made to obtain a catalyst activation temperature in the entire reformed gas passage inside the CO removing device 3 by heat exchange with the refrigerant, a part of the temperature becomes lower than the catalyst activation temperature. As a result, a reverse shift reaction (H ₂ + CO ₂ → CO + H ₂ O) occurs.
[0021]
Therefore, in this embodiment, the heat pipe 12 is used as a heat transport medium. Here, the heat pipe 12 is used as a catalyst carrier in which the catalyst layer 14 is coated on the outer surface of the heat pipe 12. With this configuration, the temperature distribution of the catalyst layer 14 is suppressed by utilizing the action of making the temperature of the outer surface of the heat pipe 12 uniform.
[0022]
Here, the principle that the temperature becomes uniform in the catalyst layer 14 provided on the outer surface of the heat pipe 12 will be described with reference to FIG.
[0023]
Here, the heat pipe 12 is a plate-type heat pipe, and includes a catalyst layer 14, a plate-type pipe section 15, a wick 16, and an evaporating section 17 from the outside. The catalyst layer 14 is formed by coating the outer surface of the plate-type pipe portion 15 with a catalyst. A wick 16 is formed on the inner surface of the plate-type pipe section 15 as a flow section of a liquid working fluid. Further inside the wick 16, an evaporator 17, which is a flow part of the gaseous working fluid, is formed by a space.
[0024]
If the temperature rises due to a local exothermic reaction in a part of the catalyst layer 14, for example, if the temperature of the heat receiving portion 21 rises in FIG. It is transmitted to the side by heat conduction. On the inner surface of the plate-type pipe portion 15, the liquid-phase working fluid contained in the wick 16 is evaporated by the transmitted heat. When the phase is changed from the liquid phase to the gas phase in this manner, the heat transmitted from the outer surface is consumed for the latent heat of evaporation, so that the heat receiving portion 21 can be cooled.
[0025]
On the other hand, when there is no exothermic reaction and the temperature of the outer surface of the plate-type pipe portion 15 is locally low, in FIG. 3, when the temperature of the heat radiating portion 22 is low, the inside of the steam portion 17 is inside. The working fluid of the phase is cooled and condensed. Accordingly, heat of condensation is released from the working fluid, and the temperature of the inner surface of the plate-type pipe portion 15 is increased. This heat is transmitted to the outer surface of the plate-type pipe portion 15, so that the temperature of the catalyst layer 14 disposed on the outer surface of the heat radiating portion 22 increases.
[0026]
Further, the working fluid that has become liquid by cooling moves through the wick 16 formed on the inner wall surface of the plate-type pipe portion 15 by capillary action to a portion where the liquid phase has been reduced by evaporation. For example, in FIG. 3, the working fluid condensed in the heat radiating portion 22 moves to the heat receiving portion 21 through the wick 16. The moved working fluid receives heat again and evaporates, thereby cooling the heat receiving portion 21. However, the positions of the heat receiving portion 21 and the heat radiating portion 22 vary depending on the heat pipe 12, and also vary depending on the flow rate and concentration of the supplied reformed gas. For example, in FIGS. 3B and 3C, the heat receiving portion 21 and the heat radiating portion 22 may be more finely distributed. In this case as well, the temperature of the outer surface of the heat pipe 12 can be made uniform. In addition, the temperature of the catalyst layer 14 can be made uniform.
[0027]
In this way, the heat pipe 12 operates so as to always keep the outer surface temperature of the plate-type pipe section 15 constant without receiving external energy supply. The boiling point (saturation temperature) of the working fluid sealed in the heat pipe 12 can be changed depending on the pressure and the type of the fluid inside the working fluid, so that the temperature at which the heat pipe 12 is to be operated can be set in advance.
[0028]
Next, the shape of the wick 16 used for the plate-type heat pipe 12 will be described. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the wick 16, and FIG.
[0029]
Here, two flat plates 16a and 16b formed of a porous body and having grooves 16c formed on the surfaces thereof uniformly in the vertical and horizontal directions are used. By superposing such flat plates 16a and 16b such that the grooves 16c face each other, the space defined by the grooves 16c can be used as the evaporator 17 and the porous flat plates 16a and 16b can be used as the wick 16. With this configuration, the working fluid in the liquid phase can flow between the contacting flat plates 16a and 16b by capillary action. As a result, the working fluid in the liquid phase in the wick 16 can move between the flat plates 16a and 16b, so that the temperature on the outer surface of the plate heat pipe 12 can be maintained more effectively.
[0030]
Next, effects of the present embodiment will be described.
[0031]
The inside of the structure supporting the catalyst layer 14 is constituted by the heat pipe 12. Since the heat pipe 12 has the function of making the temperature of the outer surface uniform, the temperature of the catalyst layer 14 can be made uniform without having a complicated configuration. That is, since the temperature of the catalyst layer 14 is made uniform by the heat pipe 12, the entire catalyst layer 14 can be maintained at the activation temperature. Thereby, the oxidation efficiency of CO can be improved, and CO in the reformed gas can be removed even if the CO removing device 3 is made compact. Further, there is no need to supply, distribute, and recover the working fluid, so that the system can be simplified and the configuration size can be suppressed.
[0032]
In the heat pipe 12, when the temperature of a part of the catalyst layer 14 rises above a predetermined temperature, the temperature of the catalyst layer 14 is decreased by the heat of evaporation of the working fluid. When the temperature of a part of the catalyst layer 14 falls below a predetermined temperature, the temperature of the catalyst layer 14 is raised by the heat of condensation of the working fluid. Thus, the temperature of the catalyst layer 14 can be made uniform, so that the efficiency of the CO oxidation reaction can be improved, and the CO removal device 3 can be made compact. In the heat pipe 12, since the working fluid moves inside the pipe, heat can be supplied from the high-temperature section to the low-temperature section, so that the cooling system can be simplified.
[0033]
By forming the heat pipe 12 by a plate-type heat pipe, a uniform distribution of the catalyst activation temperature can be obtained in a plane. Thereby, an efficient oxidation reaction can be obtained over the entire surface, and sufficient CO removal can be performed even if the CO removal device 3 is made compact.
[0034]
Further, a laminate 25 is formed by alternately stacking the plate-type heat pipes 12 and the fins 13 constituting the flow path of the reformed gas. Thereby, since the area for forming the catalyst layer 14 can be increased, the size of the CO removing device 3 can be reduced.
[0035]
Next, the configuration of the CO removing device 3 in the second embodiment is shown in FIGS. The configuration of the reforming system used in the present embodiment is the same as the configuration of the reforming system used in the first embodiment.
[0036]
The CO removing device 3 used here is formed by penetrating the heat pipe 18b in the laminating direction at the center of the plate heat pipe 12 (the plate heat pipe 18a in the present embodiment) of the CO removing device 3 in the first embodiment. It consists of. Here, the heat pipe 18b penetrating to the center is constituted by a cylindrical heat pipe having a cylindrical shape.
[0037]
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, plate-type heat pipes 18a having a circular hole 18c at the center are stacked at predetermined intervals. The cylindrical heat pipe 18b is embedded in a hole 18c provided in the plate heat pipe 18a. Thus, the stacked plate-type heat pipes 18a are communicated with each other by the cylindrical heat pipes 18b (FIG. 7).
[0038]
The heat pipe 18 assembled in this way is fixed as shown in FIG. Here, the contact portions between the plate-type heat pipes 18a and the cylindrical heat pipes 18b are joined by brazing or the like. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the fins 13 are arranged between the plate type heat pipes 18a stacked at a predetermined interval. Here, as in the first embodiment, the fin 13 is formed by bending a flat plate into a wave shape.
[0039]
Further, as shown in FIG. 10, when the plate-type heat pipe 18a and the cylindrical heat pipe 18b are joined, they may be configured to communicate with each other through the inside, here, the evaporator 17 and the wick 16.
[0040]
Next, effects of the present embodiment will be described. The following effects are produced in addition to the effects of the first embodiment.
[0041]
The heat transfer between the plate-type heat pipes 18a can be enabled by thermally connecting the plate-type heat pipes 18a that constitute the stacked body 25 to each other. Thereby, the temperature in the stacking direction as well as the stacking surface direction of the catalyst layer 14 can be made uniform, and the temperature of the entire catalyst filled in the CO removing device 3 can be made uniform. As a result, the catalyst can be easily maintained at the activation temperature, and the oxidation reaction can be efficiently generated, so that the CO removing device 3 can be made more compact.
[0042]
At this time, by penetrating the laminate 25 in the laminating direction by the heat pipe 18b, the plate-type heat pipes constituting the laminate 25 can be thermally connected. Thereby, the effects described above can be obtained.
[0043]
Further, when the heat pipes 18a and 18b are joined, the working fluid can be moved between the heat pipes 18a and 18b by communicating the insides. As a result, the heat transfer becomes smoother, so that when a temperature gradient occurs in the catalyst layer 14, the catalyst layer 14 can be quickly made uniform.
[0044]
Next, the configuration of a CO removing device 3 according to a third embodiment is shown in FIG. The configuration of the reforming system used in the present embodiment is the same as the configuration of the reforming system used in the first embodiment.
[0045]
Here, two heat pipes 19b and 19c are passed through the plate heat pipe 12 (the plate heat pipe 19a in the present embodiment) of the CO removing device 3 in the first embodiment in the stacking direction. Here, cylindrical heat pipes are used as the heat pipes 19b and 19c, and are fixed to the plate type heat pipe 19a by brazing or the like as in the second embodiment.
[0046]
Next, effects of the present embodiment will be described. Here, only differences from the second embodiment will be described.
[0047]
By penetrating the heat pipes 19b and 19c in the stacking direction of the stack 25, the plate-type heat pipes 19a constituting the stack 25 can be thermally connected. By using a plurality of heat pipes 19b and 19c, here, two heat pipes, heat transfer in the stacking direction can be performed more smoothly than in the case of one heat pipe. In particular, in the case of the CO removing device 3 in which the lamination surface of the catalyst layer 14 is large, it takes time to move the working fluid. Therefore, by using a plurality of heat pipes 19b, the temperature of the catalyst layer 14 can be efficiently made uniform. it can.
[0048]
Next, the configuration of a CO removing device 3 according to a fourth embodiment is shown in FIG. The configuration of the reforming system used in the present embodiment is the same as the configuration of the reforming system used in the first embodiment.
[0049]
Here, the CO removing device 3 is configured by disposing a plate-type heat pipe 20b penetrating in the laminating direction with respect to a plate-type heat pipe 20a and a fin 13 that are laminated. That is, as shown in FIG. 12, the fins 13 divided into squares by the plate-type heat pipes 20a and 20b are arranged vertically and horizontally in the cross section of the CO removing device 3. Here, one section of the fins 13 surrounded by the plate-type heat pipes 20a and 20b is constituted by three layers, four sections horizontally and three sections vertically.
[0050]
Here, similarly to the second and third embodiments, the vertical plate-type heat pipe 20b and the horizontal plate-type heat pipe 20a are joined by brazing or the like.
[0051]
Next, effects unique to the present embodiment will be described.
[0052]
A lattice-shaped space is formed by combining the plate-type heat pipes 20b arranged in the vertical direction and the plate-type heat pipes 20a arranged in the horizontal direction, and the fins 13 are arranged in the space to constitute the CO removing device 3. I do. Thereby, the heat transfer in the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and the flowing direction of the hydrogen-rich gas becomes smoother, and the temperature of the entire catalyst layer 14 is made uniform.
[0053]
FIG. 13 shows the configuration of a CO removal device 3 according to the fifth embodiment. The configuration of the reforming system used in the present embodiment is the same as the configuration of the reforming system used in the first embodiment.
[0054]
Here, as the CO removal device 3, a device in which the periphery of the laminate 25 of the plate-type heat pipes 12 and the fins 13 used in the first embodiment is surrounded by a belt-type heat pipe 23 is used. Here, the belt-type heat pipe 23 extends in the laminating direction of the laminate 25, and by surrounding the periphery in this manner, the durability of the laminate 25 can be improved. Here, the lamination surface of the laminate 25 is formed of a rectangle, and the belt-type heat pipe 23 is arranged so as to be parallel to the long side on the lamination surface. In this embodiment, two belt-type heat pipes 23 are used.
[0055]
In addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the present embodiment has the following effects.
[0056]
By surrounding the laminate 25 with the heat pipe 23, the plate-type heat pipes 12 constituting the laminate 25 can be thermally communicated. Thereby, the same effect as in the second embodiment can be obtained. In addition, the durability of the laminated structure can be improved by forming the heat pipe 23 to be thermally communicated in a belt shape and wrapping it around the laminated body 25.
[0057]
FIG. 14 shows the configuration of the reforming system used in the sixth embodiment.
[0058]
In the present embodiment, a heater 24 is arranged adjacent to the CO removal device 3. Here, the heater 24 is constituted by any one of a water evaporator, a fuel evaporator, a water and fuel evaporator, a fuel preheater, or the like, or a reactor having the performance of a plurality of reactors. The heater is configured by stacking a plurality of flat plates at a predetermined interval, and an object to be supplied with heat between the flat plates, such as water or a hydrocarbon fuel, flows. As a result, the water or fuel evaporated or preheated can be used for the reforming reaction in the reformer 1 to improve the fuel efficiency. Here, the heat generated by the CO removing device 3 is used as a heat source of the heater 24.
[0059]
Next, the configuration of the CO removing device 3 used in this embodiment is shown in FIG.
[0060]
As the CO removing device 3, the CO removing device used in the third embodiment is employed. However, the heater 24 is arranged adjacent to the CO removing device 3, and the cylindrical heat pipe 19 b penetrating the laminate 25 is configured to penetrate the heater 24 together with the laminate 25. Further, the heater 24 is configured by stacking a plurality of flat plates constituting a flow passage of a fluid to be heated (stacked body 26). Here, the stacking direction of the CO removing device 3 and the stacking direction of the heater 24 are the same, and the heat pipe 19b is installed so as to penetrate the stacks 25 and 26 of the two reactors. As a result, when the temperature of the CO removing device 3 was increased, the heat was generated in the CO removing device 3 with the portion of the laminate 25 in the CO removing device 3 as the heat receiving portion 21 and the portion of the laminate 26 of the heater 24 as the heat radiating portion 22. Heat can be supplied to the heater 24 via the cylindrical heat pipe 19b.
[0061]
Next, effects of the present embodiment will be described.
[0062]
By thermally connecting the CO removing device 3 and the heater 24 with the heat pipe 19b, heat generated by the CO removing device 3 can be used as a heating source.
[0063]
Here, a heater 24 is provided adjacent to the CO removing device 3 and a part of the heat pipe 19b is arranged in the heater 24, so that the CO heating device 3 does not use complicated heating medium piping. Heat can be used.
[0064]
In particular, by using the heater 24 as a reforming reaction fuel, here a preheater or an evaporator of at least one of water and hydrocarbon fuel, CO2 is used as energy for generating a fuel gas necessary for performing the reforming reaction. The heat generated in the removing device 3 can be used, and the fuel efficiency can be improved.
[0065]
FIG. 16 shows a configuration of a CO removal device 3 used in the seventh embodiment. Here, the reforming system in the present embodiment has the same configuration as the reforming system used in the sixth embodiment.
[0066]
In the present embodiment, heaters 24a and 24b are arranged at both ends in the stacking direction of the CO removing device 3. At this time, by forming both ends of the cylindrical heat pipe 19b provided in the CO removing device 3 so as to pass through the heaters 24a and 24b, heat generated in the CO removing device 3 is used in the heaters 24a and 24b. Made it possible. Other configurations are the same as in the sixth embodiment. Here, the heaters 24a and 24b are a water evaporator for evaporating water supplied to the reformer 1, a fuel evaporator for evaporating hydrocarbon fuel supplied to the reformer 1, and a preheating for preheating water or hydrocarbon fuel. Can be any one of the vessels. Here, a water evaporator and a hydrocarbon fuel preheater are used.
[0067]
By arranging the heaters 24a and 24b at both ends of the CO removing device 3, heat generated in the CO removing device 3 can be effectively used. In particular, by using the heaters 24, a, and 24b as water evaporators and hydrocarbon fuel preheaters, heat generated in the CO removing device 3 is used as a heat source for evaporating or heating the fuel before being used for the reforming reaction. can do.
[0068]
It is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes can be made within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a fuel cell system according to a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a CO removal device used in the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a heat pipe used in the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a wick used in the first embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a plan view of a wick used in the first embodiment.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a method of assembling a heat pipe used in a second embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a heat pipe used in a second embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a heat pipe used in the second embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a laminated body used in the second embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a cross section of a heat pipe used in the second embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a heat pipe according to a third embodiment.
FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a CO removal device according to a fourth embodiment.
FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram of a CO removal device according to a fifth embodiment.
FIG. 14 is a configuration diagram of a fuel cell system according to a sixth embodiment.
FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of a CO removal device and a heater according to a sixth embodiment.
FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of a CO removal device and a heater according to a seventh embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Reformer
3 CO removal equipment
4 stack
12 Plate type heat pipe (heat pipe)
13 Fins
14 Catalyst layer
18a Plate type heat pipe
18b Cylindrical heat pipe (heat pipe for thermal communication)
19a Plate type heat pipe
19b Cylindrical heat pipe (heat pipe for thermal communication)
23 Belt-type heat pipes (heat pipes that communicate thermally)
24 heater (preheater, evaporator)
25 laminate

Claims (10)

In a carbon monoxide removal device equipped with a catalyst layer filled with a selective oxidation catalyst that preferentially oxidizes carbon monoxide in hydrogen-rich gas over hydrogen,
An apparatus for removing carbon monoxide, wherein the inside of a structure supporting the catalyst layer is constituted by a heat pipe. In a carbon monoxide removal device equipped with a catalyst layer filled with a selective oxidation catalyst that preferentially oxidizes carbon monoxide in hydrogen-rich gas over hydrogen,
A heat pipe containing a working fluid consisting of a gas phase and a liquid phase is provided,
When the temperature of a part of the catalyst layer is higher than a predetermined temperature, the temperature of the part which is higher than the predetermined temperature is reduced by heat of evaporation of the working fluid,
When the temperature of a part of the catalyst layer is lower than a predetermined temperature, the temperature of the part lower than the predetermined temperature is increased by the heat of condensation of the working fluid. The carbon monoxide removal device according to claim 1, wherein the heat pipe is configured by a plate-type heat pipe. The carbon monoxide removing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a laminated body formed by alternately laminating the plate-type heat pipes and fins constituting a flow path of the hydrogen-rich gas. 5. The carbon monoxide removing device according to claim 4, wherein the plate-type heat pipes constituting the laminate are thermally communicated with each other. The carbon monoxide removal apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the plate-type heat pipe is thermally connected by one or a plurality of heat pipes penetrating the laminate in a laminating direction. The apparatus for removing carbon monoxide according to claim 5, wherein the plate-type heat pipe is thermally connected by winding a heat pipe around the laminate along the laminating direction. A reformer that generates a hydrogen-rich gas containing carbon monoxide by a reforming reaction using at least one of water or an oxygen-containing gas and a hydrocarbon fuel,
A carbon monoxide removing device that oxidizes carbon monoxide in a hydrogen-rich gas by a selective oxidation reaction in a catalyst layer,
A stack that performs power generation using hydrogen in a hydrogen-rich gas having a reduced carbon monoxide concentration by the carbon monoxide removal device,
A heater for heating at least one of water or hydrocarbon fuel supplied to the reformer,
The CO removal device includes a heat pipe for adjusting the temperature of the catalyst layer,
A fuel cell system, wherein the carbon monoxide removing device and the heater are thermally connected by the heat pipe. The fuel cell system according to claim 8, further comprising a heater adjacent to the carbon monoxide removing device, wherein a part of the heat pipe is disposed in the heater. 10. The fuel cell system according to claim 8, wherein the heater is at least one of a preheater and an evaporator of a fuel used for a reforming reaction.

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