CN101170178B - Fuel battery system for apartment building and control method of the system - Google Patents

Abstract

A fuel cell system for an apartment complex is disclosed herein. Multiple fuel cell stacks are installed in individual dwelling units in the apartment complex and use hydrogen to generate electricity and heat. One or more fuel processors are installed in the service area and supply the generated hydrogen through pipelines to respective supply modules each for a plurality of dwelling units. The common converter receives surplus hydrogen produced in excess by the fuel processor via pipeline and generates common electricity and heat. The controller automatically detects the main power distribution supplied by the external main power supply to the fuel processor, and selectively outputs a control signal. The auxiliary power supply unit receives a control signal from the controller and selectively supplies power.

Description

Fuel cell system for apartment building and control method for the system

technical field

The present invention generally relates to a fuel cell system for an apartment complex in which one or more fuel processors for generating hydrogen by reforming fuel are installed in the service area and in each dwelling unit are installed for using hydrogen to generate An electrical and thermal fuel cell stack, and more particularly, to a fuel cell system for an apartment building capable of providing fail-safe protection of power supply and enabling stable power supply to fuel processors even if the external power supply is disconnected, and an operating method of the system.

Background technique

In general, a fuel cell system is a device that generates electricity by reacting hydrogen obtained from reformed gaseous fuel or pure hydrogen with oxygen from air. Fuel cell systems are similar to batteries that generate electricity through chemical reactions. However, the fuel cell system receives reactants such as hydrogen and oxygen from the outside, so that the fuel cell system does not require charging, generates electricity as long as fuel is supplied to the fuel cell, and generates electricity without a fuel combustion reaction, thus having an environmental advantage.

The basic operating principle of a fuel cell system is that an electrolyte is sandwiched between two electrodes, electricity is generated when hydrogen and oxygen ions pass through the two electrodes, and heat and water are produced as by-products. Here, when hydrogen is supplied through the anode of the fuel cell and oxygen is supplied through the cathode of the fuel cell, hydrogen molecules entering through the anode are separated into protons and electrons by a catalyst, and the separated protons and electrons reach the cathode through different paths. That is, protons flow through the electrolyte in the middle of the fuel cell, and electrons flow through the outer circuit, thereby generating current flow, and the electrons and protons combine with oxygen at the cathode, thereby producing water.

In other words, a fuel cell is a production system that directly converts the chemical reaction energy of hydrogen and oxygen contained in hydrocarbon-based materials such as methanol, ethanol or natural gas into electrical energy. This fuel cell is divided into Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell (PAFC), Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell (MCFC) and Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (Solid Oxide Fuel Cell) according to the type of electrolyte used. SOFC) and Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC). Although various fuel cells operate basically on the same principle, they differ in the kind of fuel, operating temperature, catalyst, and electrolyte used.

The structure of a conventional fuel cell system includes a fuel processor that converts fuel such as natural gas into hydrogen fuel by reforming the fuel, a fuel cell stack that receives hydrogen from the fuel processor to cause a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen and generates electricity and heat, Inverter or power conversion device for converting direct current generated due to chemical reactions in the fuel cell stack to alternating current for home use, and heat for extracting waste heat discharged to the outside and reusing it as thermal energy for heating water switch.

The fuel processor receives the fuel in the fuel tank through the fuel pump, generates hydrogen by reforming the fuel, and supplies the hydrogen to the fuel cell stack.

The fuel cell stack forms the bulk of the fuel cells and generates electrical energy by causing an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen received by the fuel processor. Here, the fuel cell stack has a structure in which several to dozens of cells are stacked one on top of the other, and each cell includes a Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) and bipolar plates closely attached to both sides of the MEA. The MEA has a structure in which an anode electrode and a cathode electrode are attached to an electrolyte membrane interposed between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode.

In a fuel cell stack, hydrogen is supplied to the anode electrode and oxygen to the cathode electrode through two-stage plates. During this process, an oxidation reaction of hydrogen occurs at the anode electrode, while a reduction reaction of oxygen occurs at the cathode electrode. In addition, electricity is generated due to the movement of electrons generated in this process, and heat and water are generated accordingly.

The inverter converts the direct current generated in the above-mentioned fuel cell stack into alternating current for use as domestic electricity.

The fuel cell system constituted as above has various advantages of high energy efficiency, environmental friendliness, flexibility of energy supply sources, and economical hydrogen production. Therefore, recently, a fuel cell system for a residential unit that generates energy equal to or less than 5 kW instead of a large-scale power generation facility has been intensively developed and operated.

However, the power generation capacity of conventional fuel cell systems has been developed to be suitable for single family homes. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to apply the conventional fuel cell system to a multi-family house, that is, an apartment complex such as an apartment building or a commercial-residential complex, since environmental technology should be developed and safety restrictions should be resolved when the overall power generation capacity increases apartment.

That is to say, the fuel processor as a hydrogen-generating reformer has limitations in capacity growth for safety and technical reasons. Also, when the entire system is distributed, the main problem is that a solution must be provided to efficiently run the system.

In order to solve the above problems, the present applicant proposed a fuel cell system for an apartment building, in which one or more fuel processors and a plurality of fuel cell stacks are installed in the service area of the apartment building for receiving fuel from the corresponding Processors for hydrogen and electricity generation, and inverters are independently installed in each residential unit.

That is, the fuel cell system for an apartment building to which the present applicant has applied for a patent has a structure in which the fuel processor is operated by obtaining the minimum electricity required to operate the fuel processor from an external power company, and the fuel cell The stacks receive reformed hydrogen from corresponding fuel processors and generate electricity and heat.

In this configuration, when the fuel cell system is configured as a closed loop system in which electricity is generated and received inside the system instead of receiving electricity for operating the fuel processor from an external power company such as Korea Electric Power Company (KEPCO), since each The addition and maintenance of such ancillary facilities requires huge costs, and reduces efficacy due to low energy efficiency. Therefore, the minimum operating power to operate the fuel processor is supplied from an external power company.

However, the fuel cell system for an apartment building that the present applicant has applied for a patent is configured in such a structure that the electricity required to run the fuel processor installed in the service area comes from an external power company so that when a power failure occurs, due to The fuel processor stops operating, and there is a problem that each fuel cell stack cannot generate electricity and heat.

Contents of the invention

Therefore, in order to overcome the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell system for an apartment complex that can enable The fuel processor operates stably, thereby maintaining stable power supply to the fuel cell stack installed in each dwelling unit.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a fuel cell system for an apartment building, the system includes a plurality of fuel cell stacks installed in each dwelling unit of the apartment building and configured to generate electricity and heat; one or more fuel processors installed in the service area and configured to supply generated hydrogen through pipelines to respective supply modules each for a plurality of dwelling units; a common converter configured to pass through a pipeline receiving surplus hydrogen produced in excess by the fuel processor and generating utility electricity and utility heat; a controller configured to automatically detect main power distribution from a main power source externally supplied to the fuel processor and selectively output a control signal and an auxiliary power supply unit configured to receive a control signal from the controller and selectively supply power.

In one embodiment, the fuel processor is connected to a main supply line for supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell stack, and to an auxiliary supply line including a valve to selectively supply surplus hydrogen to a common converter, so The fuel cell stacks form respective supply modules for each dwelling unit.

In this embodiment, each fuel processor is electrically connected to selectively receive electricity from an external power company or an auxiliary power supply unit.

In this embodiment, the common converter is configured by using one or both of the common fuel cell stack and the hydrogen boiler, and the fuel cell stack is connected to each fuel processor through a pipeline with a valve to selectively receive hydrogen And generate electricity and heat. The hydrogen boiler is connected to each fuel processor through pipelines with valves, selectively receives hydrogen and generates heat.

In this embodiment, the controller includes a voltage sensor for automatically detecting the voltage state of the main power supply.

In this embodiment, the auxiliary power supply unit is a capacitor connected to the common converter to receive and store generated electricity.

In this embodiment, the auxiliary power supply unit is a generator using a diesel engine or a gas engine as an engine.

To accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides a method of operating a fuel cell system for an apartment complex, the method comprising receiving electricity from an external mains Reforming fuel and generating hydrogen; independently supplying hydrogen to a supply module that includes multiple fuel cell stacks installed for multiple dwelling units and generating electricity and heat for each dwelling unit; supplying surplus hydrogen produced in excess by individual fuel processors a common converter for generating common electricity and heat; and selectively controlling operation of an auxiliary power supply electrically connected to and supplying power to the fuel processor using a controller that receives auto-detect main power supply information voltage.

In another embodiment, the auxiliary power supply unit is configured using a capacitor and a generator, the capacitor is connected to each fuel processor and receives and stores generated electricity, and the generator uses a diesel engine or a gas engine as an engine .

In this embodiment, in the process of controlling the operation of the auxiliary power supply unit, when receiving the information of the suspension state of the main power distribution from the voltage sensor, the controller performs electrical control so that the auxiliary power supply unit operates and powers Supply Fuel Processor.

In this embodiment, the common converter is configured by using one or both of a common fuel cell stack and a hydrogen boiler. The common fuel cell stack generates electricity and heat and supplies electricity to the common area through pipelines. The hydrogen boiler generates heat and supplies hot air and hot water to each dwelling unit, and the common converter is controlled by a controller.

Description of drawings

The above-mentioned and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention can be more clearly understood through the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

1 and 2 are schematic diagrams showing the construction of a fuel cell system for an apartment complex of the present invention;

3 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the fuel cell system for an apartment building of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a control structure of a fuel cell system for an apartment complex of the present invention.

Detailed ways

Reference is now made to the drawings, wherein the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar parts throughout the different views.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Reference is now made to the drawings, wherein the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar parts throughout the different views.

The features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The terms and words used in the specification and claims need not be interpreted as having conventional dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted as based on the concept that the inventor may properly define the terms in order to describe the inventor's own invention in the most appropriate manner The meanings and concepts that conform to the technical spirit of the present invention are based on the principles of the present invention.

Embodiments of the fuel cell system for an apartment building of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic view showing the installation-related construction of a fuel processor of the present invention in a fuel cell system for an apartment complex; and FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the installation-related construction of a fuel cell stack of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the fuel cell system 1 of the present invention is mainly applied to apartment buildings, such as apartments and commercial and residential apartments. That is, a fuel processor 3 for generating hydrogen by reforming fuel is installed in a service area (not shown), such as a machine room, for receiving hydrogen and generating fuel including an inverter (not shown) for electricity and heat. A battery stack (fuel cell system) 5 is installed in each dwelling unit.

Reference numeral '3a' denotes a fuel line for receiving fuel from a fuel tank (not shown), and reference numeral '3b' denotes a hydrogen supply line for supplying reformed hydrogen to the fuel cell stack 5 .

The above configuration is basically the same as that of a known fuel cell system for apartment buildings. However, the present invention includes one or more small-capacity fuel processors and fuel cell stacks, said fuel processors being hazardous installations; said fuel cell stacks being independently installed in each dwelling unit to form a single power module and receive hydrogen from the corresponding fuel processor.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the fuel cell system for apartment buildings of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the control structure of the fuel cell system for apartment buildings of the present invention.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the fuel cell system 1 of the present invention includes one or more modules installed in the service area of an apartment complex and configured to generate hydrogen by reforming fuel and supplying hydrogen to various supply modules for a plurality of residential units through pipelines. The hydrogen fuel processor 3 is independently installed in each residential unit of the apartment building and is configured to receive hydrogen from the fuel processor 3 and generate electricity and heat. The fuel cell stack 5 is configured to control the fuel cell stack 5 based on the working state of the fuel cell stack 5. The controller 10 operated by the processor 3 is configured as a common converter 20 for converting surplus hydrogen generated in excess in the fuel processor 3 into electricity and heat, and for receiving a control signal from the controller 10 and selectively supplying power to Auxiliary power supply unit 40 of fuel processor 3 .

Such a fuel processor 3 is a device for converting widely used fuel such as liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), gasoline, or methanol into hydrogen by reforming the fuel and supplying the hydrogen to the fuel cell. The fuel processor 3 performs catalyst-based processes, namely desulfurization reactions, reforming reactions, water gas shift reactions, and chemoselective reactions.

That is, the fuel processor 3 includes a metal-zeolite desulfurizer for performing a reaction at normal temperature, a steam reformer for performing an endothermic reaction, a water gas shift reactor (carbon monoxide converter), and preferably an oxidation reactor. Since the fuel processor having the above configuration can be realized using known techniques, a detailed description thereof is omitted here.

Meanwhile, the above-mentioned fuel processor 3 of the present invention is applied to an apartment complex such as an apartment or a commercial-residential apartment. Preferably, the fuel processor 3 is used for service areas such as machine rooms, switch rooms or boiler rooms of apartment buildings. The fuel processor 3 is a rather dangerous facility for generating hydrogen, and has the disadvantage that the danger increases proportionally with the hydrogen production. That is, there are disadvantages that when the capacity of the fuel processor increases, additional safety devices such as explosion-proof devices are required, so that the economic burden increases, and the fuel processor cannot be installed in residential areas due to various restrictions.

Therefore, the present invention proposes to install one or more small-capacity fuel processors 3 that are economical and easy to control from a safety point of view. Each fuel processor 3 is connected to a main supply line 'p1' to supply hydrogen to the fuel cell stack 5, which will be described later, and an auxiliary supply line 'p2' to supply the remaining hydrogen to the common converter 20. The fuel processor 3 receives electricity from an external power company through a main power supply 'mp'. In addition, the fuel processor 3 receives power from the auxiliary power supply unit 40 when a power failure occurs in the main power supply 'mp', which will be described later.

Although one or more fuel processors are not shown in the figures, preferably the fuel processors are selectively connected to each other by lines.

The capacity selection method of the fuel processor with the above structure is specifically as follows:

(1) Total hydrogen supply capacity for apartment complexes

The hydrogen supply amount for each dwelling unit is decided based on the capacity of the fuel cell system 1 in consideration of the power consumption of each dwelling unit. Generally, a fuel cell system 1 with a capacity of 0.5-5 kW is applied to each dwelling unit. The hydrogen supply amount required by the fuel cell system 1 for each residential unit can be calculated based on the electrical conversion efficiency of the fuel cell system 1 (generally 20-50%) according to the following Equation 1:

Hydrogen supply (maximum value) = P÷E×860÷2732[Nm ³ /hr] (1)

Among them, fuel cell capacity (maximum value): P (kW),

The conversion rate from electric capacity to heat capacity: 860Kcal/kWh.

Calorific value of hydrogen: 2732Kcal/Nm ³ [lower calorific value], and

Electric conversion efficiency: E[%]

Therefore, to construct and calculate the capacity of the fuel processor, the total hydrogen supply capacity for the apartment complex can be calculated using Equation 2 below:

Capa, Cp _H2 , Cp _H2 [Nm ³ /hr] = (hydrogen gas supply, maximum value) × (total number of residential units) (2)

(2) Selection of fuel processor capacity and installation of modules

When the apartment building is an apartment and the number of buildings included in the residential area is M, the number of machine rooms where fuel processors are installed is M, and thus M fuel processors are generally installed. However, fuel processors can be installed in a number of ways based on the required capacity of commercially available fuel processors as follows:

Example 1

When fuel processors are installed in individual buildings,

Number of fuel processors to be installed = M

Capacity of fuel processor for each module C _FP =Int[Cp _H2 /M]+1

Wherein Int[X]=integer value after rounding off decimals of X value.

Example 2

When installing one fuel processor for every two buildings:

Number of fuel processors to be installed = M/2

Capacity of fuel processor for each module C _FP =Int[2Cp _H2 /M]+1

That is, when the total number of dwelling units using the fuel cell system with a capacity of 1 kW is 600 and the number of buildings is 20, the total capacity (CaPa) of supplied hydrogen gas is determined to be about 420 Nm ³ /hr. Although the capacity of each fuel processor may be calculated after determining the number of modules installed as described above, the number of modules to be installed may be calculated after determining the capacity of each fuel processor.

The fuel processor 3 configured as described above receives fuel in a fuel tank (not shown), reforms the fuel to generate hydrogen, and supplies the hydrogen to corresponding supply modules 'a' for a plurality of dwelling units, that is, forms a supply Fuel cell stack 5 of module 'a'.

The fuel cell stack 5 is a device installed in each dwelling unit included in each apartment complex and configured to generate electricity and heat using hydrogen gas. In an embodiment of the present invention, the fuel cell stack 5 constitutes a single-supply module for a plurality of dwelling units and receives hydrogen from the respective fuel processors 3 .

This fuel cell stack 5 is a device for generating electricity when hydrogen gas generated from the fuel processor 3 reacts with oxygen in the air. The fuel cell stack 5 mainly includes a catalyst for causing a reaction, an electrolyte membrane for transferring hydrogen ions, and bipolar plates for controlling collection of electricity and flow of gas.

That is, the fuel cell stack 5 is a device for generating electrical energy by causing an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen gas and oxygen gas received from the fuel processor 3 . The fuel cell stack has a structure in which several or even dozens of cells are stacked one on top of the other, and each cell includes an MEA and bipolar plates tightly attached to both sides of the MEA. The MEA has a structure in which an anode electrode and a cathode electrode are attached to an electrolyte membrane sandwiched between them. With the above configuration, hydrogen gas and oxygen gas are respectively supplied to the anode electrode and the cathode electrode through the bipolar plates. In this process, the oxidation reaction of hydrogen occurs at the anode electrode, while the reduction reaction of oxygen occurs at the cathode electrode. Further, electricity is generated due to the movement of electrons, along with the generation of heat and water. Since the generated electricity is direct current, it is converted into alternating current using the inverter 7 provided on one side, and then used as commercial electricity.

Since the fuel cell stack 5 having the above-mentioned configuration can be realized using a known method like the above-mentioned fuel processor 3 , a detailed description thereof is omitted here.

However, in the present invention, the fuel cell stack 5 is installed in each dwelling unit of an apartment complex such as an apartment and a condominium, forms a single supply module of the dwelling unit, and receives hydrogen from the corresponding fuel processor 3 .

The controller 10 is a microprocessor that outputs control signals to the aforementioned fuel cell stack 5, fuel processor 3, common converter 20 and auxiliary power supply unit 40 in order to maintain stable operation of the system. The controller 10 may be configured such that the controller controls various electric subassemblies (electric subassemblies) forming the system, or may be configured such that a controller (not shown) is independently provided in each electric subassembly, that is, a plurality of fuel cell stacks, fuel processors, etc. , the common converter 20 and the auxiliary power supply unit 40 and are controlled. Since such a controller 10 can be implemented using known techniques, its detailed description is omitted here. For ease of description, the present invention will be described based on a single controller connected in a loop to and applying control signals to a plurality of electrical subassemblies.

Although not shown in the drawings, the controller 10 includes a plurality of sensors for automatically detecting the operating states of the fuel processor 3 and the fuel cell stack 5 . Specifically, the controller 10 includes a voltage sensor 15 for automatically detecting a voltage state of a main power source 'mp' to be externally supplied to the fuel processor 3 .

Here, the voltage sensor 15 monitors the voltage state of the main power supply 'mp' in real time, and applies the automatically detected information to the controller 10 connected to the output terminal. The controller 10 judges whether a power failure occurs based on voltage information applied by the main power source 'mp'. If it is determined that a power failure has occurred, the controller 10 operates the auxiliary power supply unit 10 , which will be described later, and supplies electricity to the fuel processor 3 .

Although not shown in the drawings, preferably, the controller 10 controls the operation of the corresponding fuel processor 3 based on the operating state of the fuel cell stack 5 installed in each dwelling unit so as to generate a required amount of hydrogen, and when generated When excess hydrogen is generated in excess, the excess hydrogen is supplied to the common converter 20 to generate utility electricity.

The common converter 20 is a device for receiving excess hydrogen generated in excess by the fuel processor 3 and using the received hydrogen as public electricity or converting the received hydrogen into thermal energy and supplying each dwelling unit.

That is, the operating rate (hereinafter referred to as 'R') of the fuel processor 3 corresponding to the fuel cell stack 5 forming the single supply module 'a' for a plurality of dwelling units is determined based on the operating load of each fuel cell stack. Here, when the ratio of the minimum output to the maximum output of the fuel processor 3 is determined in the range of 0-100% according to the specification, and this ratio is called the Turn-Down-Ratio (hereinafter referred to as 'TRD') , based on 'TRD' and 'R' of the fuel processor 3, the amount of hydrogen generated by the fuel processor 3 is controlled to satisfy the total hydrogen consumption or to leave a surplus of hydrogen.

Therefore, the present invention proposes to supply the generated surplus hydrogen to another common converter 20 and utilize it by converting the hydrogen into utility electricity, electricity sold as excess electricity, or thermal energy, so that energy utilization efficiency can be improved.

Meanwhile, the common converter 20 may be a common fuel cell stack 21 connected to each fuel processor 3 through a pipeline including valves, selectively receives hydrogen and generates electricity. Here, the common fuel cell stack 21 may supply generated electricity to public areas such as street lamps and elevators, or to a capacitor 41 forming part of an auxiliary power supply unit 40 to store electricity, which will be described later. In addition, although not shown in the figure, surplus electricity may be delivered to a power company for sale.

Here, the capacity of the common fuel cell stack 21 forming part of the common converter 20 can be selected using the method of the following embodiment 3:

Example 3

Assuming that the apartment building is an apartment, the total capacity of the fuel cell stack 5 of the residential units in the residential area is 600kW, and 'TRD' is 50%, based on the maximum amount of remaining hydrogen, the capacity of the common fuel cell stack 21 can be selected as:

600kW×50%=300kW.

Furthermore, the common converter 20 may be provided in the form of a hydrogen boiler 23 in addition to the form of the common fuel cell stack 21 . Here, the hydrogen boiler 23 is a device that is connected to each fuel processor 3 through a pipeline including valves and generates heat using supplied hydrogen. A hydrogen boiler 23 can be connected with pipes to supply hot air and hot water to individual dwelling units or public areas such as control rooms and halls for the aged.

Here, the capacity of the hydrogen boiler 23 forming part of the common converter 20 can be selected using the method of Embodiment 4 described below.

Example 4

Assuming that the apartment building is an apartment, the total capacity of the fuel cell stack 5 of the residential units in the residential area is 600kW and the 'TRD' is 50%, based on the maximum amount of remaining hydrogen, the capacity of the hydrogen boiler 23 can be selected as follows:

600kW x 25% = 150kW.

Meanwhile, the common fuel cell stack 21 and the hydrogen boiler 23 forming part of the common converter 20 can be implemented using known techniques, and thus a detailed description thereof is omitted here.

The auxiliary power supply unit 20 receives a control signal from the above-mentioned controller 10 and selectively supplies electricity to the fuel processor 3 in a loop manner. In addition, a capacitor 41 for storing charges or a generator 43 for generating electricity using a diesel engine or a gas engine as an engine may be used as the auxiliary power supply unit 40 .

Here, the capacitor 41 includes a secondary battery capable of repeating charging and discharging reactions. Here, besides the lead storage battery and the alkaline storage battery, a secondary battery using a non-aqueous solution (organic electrolyte or solid electrolyte) can be used as the storage battery. Furthermore, the generator 43 is a device for converting mechanical energy into electrical energy, and an alternator using a diesel engine or a gas engine as an engine may be used as the generator 43 .

As described above, the auxiliary power supply device 40 may be configured to have the capacitor 41 or the generator 43 or both the capacitor 41 and the generator 43 . In addition, a display unit using a warning light or a siren may be additionally installed in the auxiliary power supply unit 40 so that a manager or operator can notice the operating states of the capacitor 41 and the generator 43 . Since the capacitor 41 and the generator 43 can be implemented using known technologies, their detailed descriptions are omitted here.

Meanwhile, the capacities of the capacitor 41 and the generator 43 forming the auxiliary power supply unit 40 can be selected using the equation described in Embodiment 5 below:

Example 5

Assuming the apartment complex is an apartment,

The minimum electromotive force required for each residential unit = Pi[kW]

Number of residential units in a residential area = N residential units

The minimum electromotive force required in the residential area = P _total [kW] ÷ pi × N

Minimum hydrogen supply required in residential areas = P _total [kW] ÷ E × 860 ÷ 2732 = H2 _ups [Nm ³ /hr] where 860Kcal/kWh: the ratio of converting electric capacity into heat capacity

2732kcal/Nm ³ [lower calorific value]: hydrogen calorific value

E[%]: Electric conversion efficiency

Capacity of the fuel processor of each module, C _FP = C _FP [Nm ³ /hr]

Number of fuel processor modules that will be operational in the event of a power failure: M _ups = Int[H2 _ups /C _FP ]+1

Where Int[x]=Integer value after rounding the decimal value of X value

Power required for single fuel processor: P _FP i[kW/(Nm ³ /hr)]

The total operating power of the fuel processor when a power failure occurs: P _FP = M _ups × C _FP × P _FP i

The minimum capacity of the battery or accumulator: CP=P _FP α

where α = power required for initial operation of the generator of the auxiliary power supply unit [kW]

According to the present invention, the operation of the fuel cell system for an apartment building constructed as described above will be described below.

One or more fuel processors 3 each having a predetermined gas production capacity are installed in a service area of an apartment building such as a machine room and a switch room, and generate hydrogen by reforming fuel. The generated hydrogen gas is supplied to the fuel cell stack 5 installed in each dwelling unit and connected to a corresponding fuel processor through a pipeline, thereby generating electricity and heat for the dwelling unit.

Here, the processor 3 is configured to be connected to respective supply modules 'a' respectively serving as a plurality of dwelling units through pipelines, and to supply hydrogen gas generated by reforming fuel. The surplus hydrogen produced in excess is supplied to the common converter 20 connected through pipelines, and is converted into common electricity and heat for use, or used as electricity for charging the capacitor 41 . Said capacitor 41 forms part of the auxiliary power supply unit 40 .

At the same time, when the main power supply 'mp' of the fuel processor 3, that is, the electricity provided by the external power company, is interrupted or cut off, the controller 10 uses the voltage sensor 15 that automatically detects the voltage of the main power supply 'mp' to implement real-time monitoring to determine whether A power failure has occurred. If it is determined that a power failure has occurred, the controller 10 operates the auxiliary power supply device 40 and supplies electricity to the fuel processor 3 . Therefore, even when the main power supply of the main power supply 'mp' is interrupted, the fuel processor 3 can still generate hydrogen stably, so that regardless of whether there is external power supplied to the fuel processor 3, that is, despite the power supply failure of the main power supply 'mp', the entire system operations can continue.

In addition, when the power-off state of the main power supply 'mp' is released, the voltage sensor automatically detects that the power-off state is released, and transmits the automatically detected information to the controller 10, so that the controller 10 cuts off the fuel supply from the auxiliary power supply unit 40 for processing. The power of the processor 3 is controlled electrically so that the fuel processor 3 receives power from the main power source 'mp'.

A preferred mode of operation of the fuel cell system configured as an apartment complex as described above will be described below.

In the fuel cell system 1 of the present invention, one or more fuel processors 3 installed in a service area of an apartment complex receive electricity from a main power source 'mp' and generate hydrogen by reforming fuel.

Hydrogen gas generated by the respective fuel processors 3 is supplied through pipelines to fuel cell stacks 5 installed in respective dwelling units and forming a supply module 'a' for a plurality of dwelling units. The fuel cell stack 5 generates electricity and heat for the respective dwelling units using the supplied hydrogen.

In addition, surplus hydrogen overproduced by the respective fuel processors 3 is supplied to the common converter 20 to generate common electricity and heat. That is, the hydrogen gas supplied to the common converter 20 is used by the common fuel cell stack 21 as public electricity and thermal energy to generate electricity and heat and supply the common area through pipelines, and the hydrogen boiler 23 generates heat and supplies hot gas and hot water through pipelines Inside a residential unit.

At the same time, the voltage sensor 15 monitors the voltage state of the main power supply 'mp' in real time, and transmits the automatic detection information to the controller 10. When a power failure occurs in the main power supply 'mp', the controller 10 operates the auxiliary power supply unit 40, and supplies power to the fuel processor 3 so that the fuel processor 3 can continuously generate energy by reforming fuel even in the event of a power failure. hydrogen gas, the auxiliary power supply unit 40 is configured with a capacitor 41 and a generator 43 .

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but it is obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and technical scope of the present invention. Therefore, various modifications must be considered to be included in the scope disclosed in the claims.

In the fuel cell system for an apartment complex having the above configuration and performing the above operation, the fuel processors and the fuel cell stack are distributed and installed, so that the stability of the system can be improved. In particular, even when the external power supply to the fuel processor is interrupted or cut off, it is possible to continuously supply power to the fuel processor by using the auxiliary power supply unit controlled by the controller, so that it is possible to prevent the fuel processor from stopping operation in case of power failure in advance The inconvenience and can guarantee and maintain the stability of the system operation and have valuable advantages.

In addition, surplus hydrogen produced in excess by individual fuel processors can be converted into public electricity (electricity for street lamps or elevators) and thermal energy (energy for hot air and hot water) and supplied to capacitors forming part of the auxiliary power supply, thus increasing Energy efficiency is improved, and there is no need to install a rather dangerous high-capacity hydrogen storage tank to store hydrogen, and as a result, there is an advantage of greatly increasing the degree of freedom of application of the fuel cell system for apartment complexes.

Claims (11)

1. fuel cell system that is used for apartment building, this system comprises:

A plurality of fuel cell packs, these a plurality of fuel cell packs are installed in each housing unit of apartment building and are configured to use hydrogen to produce electricity and hot;

One or more fuel processors, this fuel processor is installed in the coverage and is configured to and by pipeline the hydrogen that produces is supplied to each supply module that respectively is used for a plurality of housing units, and each supply module comprises a plurality of fuel cell packs that are used for a plurality of housing units;

Public translation device, this public translation device are configured to receive by the remaining hydrogen of the excessive generation of described fuel processor and produce common electrical and heat energy by pipeline;

Controller, this controller are configured to detect automatically main distribution and the selectivity output control signal of being supplied with described fuel processor by outside main power source; And

The control signal that auxiliary power unit, this auxiliary power unit are configured to receive from described controller also optionally supplies power to described fuel processor.

2. fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein, described each fuel processor is connected with the main supply pipeline that is used for hydrogen is supplied to described fuel cell pack, and be connected with the auxiliary supply pipeline that comprises valve that is used for optionally remaining hydrogen being supplied to described public translation device, described fuel cell pack is formed for the corresponding supply module of described each housing unit.

3. fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein, described each fuel processor is electrically connected to described main power source and described auxiliary power unit, thereby optionally receive from external power company or described auxiliary power unit.

4. fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein, described public translation device uses one or two configuration in common fuel battery pile and the hydrogen boiler to form, described common fuel battery pile is connected with each described fuel processor by the pipeline that has valve separately, optionally receive hydrogen and produce electricity and hot, described hydrogen boiler is connected with each described fuel processor by the pipeline that has valve separately, optionally receives hydrogen and produces heat.

5. fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein, described controller comprises the voltage sensor that is used for detecting automatically described main power voltage state.

6. fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein, described auxiliary power unit is a capacitor, this capacitor is connected and receives and store the electricity and the storage of generation with described public translation device.

7. fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein, described auxiliary power unit is for using diesel engine or the gas engine generator as engine.

8. operation method that is used for the fuel cell system of apartment building, this method comprises:

Reception is from the electricity of outside main power source, and use is installed in the one or more fuel processor fuel reformings in the described apartment building coverage and produces hydrogen;

Hydrogen independently is supplied to comprises the supply module that is installed in a plurality of fuel cell packs in a plurality of housing units separately, and produce the electricity that is used for housing unit separately and hot;

To be supplied to the public translation device by the remaining hydrogen of the excessive generation of described fuel processor separately, be used to produce common electrical and heat; And

Use controller optionally to control the operation of auxiliary power unit, described auxiliary power unit is electrically connected with described fuel processor and powers, and the voltage that described controller receives described main power source detects information automatically.

9. method according to claim 8, wherein, described auxiliary power unit uses capacitor and generator configuration to form, and described capacitor is connected with each described fuel processor and receives and store the electricity that produces, and described generator uses diesel engine or gas engine as engine.

10. method according to claim 8, wherein, in the process of the described auxiliary power unit operation of control, when receiving from voltage sensor about the information of main distribution abort state, described controller carries out electric control, makes described auxiliary power unit operation and electricity is supplied to described fuel processor.

11. method according to claim 8, wherein, described public translation device uses one or two configurations in common fuel battery pile and the hydrogen boiler to form, and described public translation device is controlled by controller, described common fuel battery pile produces electricity and heat and by pipeline electricity is supplied to the public domain, described hydrogen boiler produce heat and with hot gas and hot water supply to each housing unit.

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