JP6769855B2 - Fuel cell vehicle discharge device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a fuel cell vehicle discharge device that discharges off-gas of a fuel cell into the atmosphere.

In recent years, for example, a fuel cell vehicle powered by a fuel cell that generates electricity by chemically reacting hydrogen with oxygen in the air, as in Patent Document 1, has been put into practical use. From such a fuel cell, off-gas containing water (hereinafter referred to as product water), which is a product of a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, in the state of water vapor is discharged.

JP-A-2000-182637

By the way, when the above-mentioned off-gas is discharged into the atmosphere as it is, the water vapor contained in the off-gas is cooled to form white mist around the rear of the vehicle. Therefore, the fuel cell vehicle is equipped with a gas-liquid separation unit that separates water vapor from the off-gas by liquefying the water vapor contained in the off-gas in a storage chamber that accommodates a power train or the like. Is installed. Then, such a fuel cell vehicle discharge device is required to prevent the liquid generated water liquefied by the gas-liquid separation unit from scattering to the rear of the vehicle.

An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell vehicle discharge device that suppresses the generated water liquefied by the gas-liquid separation unit from being scattered behind the vehicle.

A fuel cell vehicle discharge device that solves the above problems separates the water vapor from the off-gas by liquefying the water vapor contained in the off-gas from the fuel cell, and the liquefied generated water is discharged from a drainage port facing below the vehicle. It includes a gas-liquid separation unit for discharging, and a guard member located behind the drain port of the vehicle and covering the space below the drain port from the rear of the vehicle.

According to the above configuration, the guard member can catch the liquid generated water discharged from the drain port of the gas-liquid separation unit and relatively moved to the rear of the vehicle. Then, the liquid generated water received by the guard member moves to the lower end portion of the guard member due to its own weight or the like, and falls from a position lower than the drain port toward the ground. As a result, it is possible to prevent the liquid generated water discharged from the gas-liquid separation unit into the atmosphere from scattering to the rear of the vehicle.

In the fuel cell vehicle discharge device, it is preferable that the drain port is located behind the wheels of the vehicle.
According to the above configuration, since the running wind toward the drain port is blocked by the wheels, the liquid generated water discharged from the drain port is less affected by the running wind.

In the fuel cell vehicle discharge device, the drain port is located at a position closer to the center of the wheel in the width direction of the vehicle in a plan view from the rear of the vehicle, and the guard member is from the rear of the vehicle. In a plan view, it is preferable to cover the wheel from the outward position to the inward position in the width direction of the vehicle.

According to the above configuration, the guard member can be less affected by the running wind while increasing the range in which the guard member receives the liquid generated water in the width direction of the vehicle.
In the fuel cell vehicle discharge device, the gas-liquid separation unit is located behind the rear wheels of the vehicle, and the guard member is made of a flexible elastic material and is outside the vehicle. It is preferable to have the lower end portion below the virtual line indicating the departure angle of the vehicle in a plan view from the side.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to set the discharge position at which the guard member discharges the liquid generated water to a lower position while suppressing the guard member from becoming an obstacle to traveling. As a result, it is possible to further suppress the scattering of liquid generated water behind the vehicle.

In the fuel cell vehicle discharge device, the gas-liquid separation unit has the drain port in an elbow pipe that extends forward of the vehicle and then extends downward of the vehicle, and the guard member is the guard member in the vertical direction of the vehicle. It is preferably located at a position overlapping the elbow tube.

According to the above configuration, since the guard member is arranged at a position close to the drain port in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, the liquid generated water discharged from the drain port of the gas-liquid separation unit and relatively moved to the rear of the vehicle is discharged. It is possible to increase the probability of being received by the guard member.

The perspective view which shows typically the schematic structure of the vehicle which carries one Embodiment of the fuel cell vehicle discharge device. The perspective view which shows an example of the perspective structure of the gas-liquid separation unit from the rear. The perspective view which shows an example of the gas-liquid separation unit perspective structure from the front. The cross-sectional view which shows the cross-sectional structure in line 4-4 of FIG. The perspective view which shows an example of the perspective structure in the state which the gas-liquid separation unit and the undercover are connected. The side view which shows an example of the side structure of the state which the gas-liquid separation unit is mounted on a vehicle. The bottom view which shows an example of the underside structure of a vehicle in the vicinity of a gas-liquid separation unit. The side view which shows an example of the side structure of a vehicle in the vicinity of a guard member. The rear view which shows an example of the rear surface structure of a vehicle in the vicinity of a gas-liquid separation unit. The schematic diagram which shows an example of the flow of liquid water discharged from a drain outlet schematically.

An embodiment of the fuel cell vehicle discharge device will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10.
As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle 10 of a shared vehicle, which is an example of a fuel cell vehicle (FCV), is a fuel generated by chemically reacting hydrogen stored in a hydrogen tank with oxygen in the air. The battery 11 is mounted on the upper rear part of the vehicle. In the fuel cell 11, off-gas containing water vapor produced by a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen is discharged. The off-gas is discharged into the atmosphere through a pair of left and right fuel cell vehicle discharge devices 20 (hereinafter, simply referred to as discharge devices 20) located behind the rear wheels 13 of the vehicle 10.

Hereinafter, the discharge device 20 will be described, but each discharge device 20 has the same basic structure except that the mounting position with respect to the vehicle is different. Therefore, the discharge device 20 located on the right side will be described in detail, and the detailed description of the discharge device 20 located on the left side will be omitted. Further, the outer direction of the vehicle 10 in the width direction of the vehicle 10 is referred to as the outer side, and the inner direction is referred to as the inner side.

(Outline of discharge device 20)
The discharge device 20 includes a duct 21, a gas-liquid separation unit 22, an undercover 23, and a guard member 24. The duct 21 is composed of a metal pipe, a flexible resin hose, or the like. The duct 21 extends downward from the fuel cell 11 and connects the fuel cell 11 and the gas-liquid separation unit 22. The gas-liquid separation unit 22 separates water vapor from the off-gas by liquefying the water vapor contained in the off-gas, and discharges the liquefied liquid generated water (hereinafter referred to as liquid water) and the off-gas into the atmosphere. The gas-liquid separation unit 22 is a space for accommodating a power train 14 having a battery, a motor, and the like, and is arranged in an accommodating chamber 15 located at the lower rearmost part of the vehicle 10.

The undercover 23 has a function as a fixture for attaching the gas-liquid separation unit 22 to the vehicle 10. The undercover 23 is inclined so as to be located downward toward the front portion of the vehicle 10, and covers the opening portion of the storage chamber 15 around the gas-liquid separation unit 22. The inclination angle of the undercover 23 is set to be substantially equal to the angle of the departure angle of the vehicle 10.

The guard member 24 is made of a flexible elastic material. The guard member 24 hangs down from the undercover 23, and prevents the liquid water discharged from the gas-liquid separation unit 22 from scattering to the rear of the vehicle 10.

(Overview of gas-liquid separation unit)
The outline of the gas-liquid separation unit 22 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the gas-liquid separation unit 22 is made of aluminum, which has high thermal conductivity and excellent water resistance among metals so that water vapor can be liquefied efficiently. ing. The gas-liquid separation unit 22 has an upper housing 30 and a lower housing 50. The upper housing 30 has a front wall 31, an upper wall 32, a rear wall 33, and an inner side wall 34 and an outer wall 35 forming a pair of side walls, and is flattened so as to extend in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction of the vehicle 10. It is formed in a box shape. A duct 21 is connected to the rear wall 33 of the upper housing 30, and a discharge portion 37 that discharges off-gas into the upper housing 30 is attached. The lower housing 50 has a front wall 51, an upper wall 52, a rear wall 53, an inner side wall 54 and an outer wall 55 forming a pair of side walls, and a lower wall 56, and has a front-rear direction and a width direction of the vehicle 10. It is formed in a flat box shape that spreads out.

In the upper housing 30, the lower ends of the front wall 31, the rear wall 33, the inner side wall 34, and the outer wall 35 are attached to the upper wall 52 of the lower housing 50. The upper housing 30 has an upper chamber 38 which is a space surrounded by a front wall 31, an upper wall 32, a rear wall 33, an inner side wall 34, an outer wall 35, and a part of the upper wall 52 of the lower housing 50. A part of the upper wall 52 of the lower housing 50 functions as a lower wall of the upper housing 30 and constitutes the lower surface 36s of the upper chamber 38. The lower surface 36s is inclined so that the portion closer to the front of the vehicle 10 is located below the vehicle 10. The discharge portion 37 has a tubular shape and is supported by the rear wall 33 in a state of penetrating the support hole 39 formed in the rear wall 33. The discharge portion 37 extends diagonally downward toward the first communication port 60, which will be described later, along the normal direction of the rear wall 33, has an introduction port 40 outside the upper chamber 38, and has an introduction port 40 of the upper chamber 38. It has a discharge port 41 inside. In the discharge unit 37, the axial direction at the formed portion of the discharge port 41 is set to the discharge direction.

The upper housing 30 has a first guide plate 71 that guides the off gas discharged from the discharge portion 37 upward in the upper chamber 38, and a second guide plate 71 that guides the off gas guided by the first guide plate 71 to the rear of the vehicle 10. It has a guide plate 72. Further, the upper housing 30 is located between the first communication port 60 and the second communication port 61, and the space closer to the lower surface 36s of the upper chamber 38 is arranged in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 10 in the first space 38A and the second space. It has an upper partition plate 74 that partitions the 38B.

The lower housing 50 has a front wall 51, an upper wall 52, a rear wall 53, an inner side wall 54, an outer wall 55, and a lower chamber 58 which is a space surrounded by a part of the lower wall 56. The lower surface 56s of the lower chamber 58 is inclined so that the portion closer to the front of the vehicle 10 is located below the vehicle 10. On the upper wall 52 of the lower housing 50, a first communication port 60 is formed at the front end portion as a communication port for communicating the upper chamber 38 and the lower chamber 58, and the discharge portion 37 is located closer to the rear wall 53. A second communication port 61 is formed below. Further, the lower housing 50 is divided into a first lower chamber 58A communicating with the upper chamber 38 through the first communication port 60 and a second lower chamber 58B communicating with the upper chamber 38 through the second communication port 61 in the lower chamber 58. It has a lower partition plate 91 that partitions the lower chamber 58.

A drain pipe 63 is attached to the front wall 51 of the lower housing 50 at an end on the outer wall 55 side. The drainage pipe 63 is an elbow pipe that extends forward of the vehicle 10 and then bends downward of the vehicle 10. The drain pipe 63 has a drain port 64 that connects the lower chamber 58 and the external space of the gas-liquid separation unit 22, so that the liquid water discharged from the drain port 64 is less likely to be affected by the running wind. It is located behind the rear wheel 13. The lower wall 56 of the lower housing 50 is formed with an exhaust port 65 at the rear end portion that communicates the lower chamber 58 and the external space of the gas-liquid separation unit 22. The exhaust port 65 is located behind the vehicle 10 with respect to the second communication port 61. Further, the lower wall 56 has an inner flange portion 56a projecting from the inner side wall 54 toward the inside of the vehicle and an outer flange portion 56b protruding from the outer wall 55 toward the outside of the vehicle. Each of the inner flange portion 56a and the outer flange portion 56b is formed with an attachment portion 66 for attaching the gas-liquid separation unit 22 to the undercover 23. The gas-liquid separation unit 22 is supported by the vehicle 10 via the undercover 23, so that the upper wall 52 and the lower wall 56 of the lower housing 50 are inclined so as to be positioned downward toward the front portion of the vehicle 10. It is mounted on the vehicle in the state. The lower wall 56 of the lower housing 50 may be a part of the undercover 23. In this case, the number of parts is reduced, and the inner flange portion 56a is formed on the inner side wall 54 and the outer flange portion 56b is formed on the outer wall 55.

When the gas-liquid separation unit 22 is mounted on the vehicle 10, the duct 21 is connected to the discharge portion 37. The discharge portion 37 and the duct 21 are connected by fastening the overlapping portion of the discharge portion 37 and the duct 21 with a fastener while the discharge portion 37 is located inside the duct 21. In addition to off-gas containing water vapor, for example, generated water liquefied while passing through the duct 21 flows into the gas-liquid separation unit 22 as liquid water. The gas-liquid separation unit 22 mainly liquefies water vapor in the upper chamber 38, and separately guides each of the liquid water and the off-gas to the drain port 64 and the exhaust port 65 in the lower chamber 58. Then, the gas-liquid separation unit 22 discharges liquid water from the drain port 64 toward the lower side of the vehicle 10, and discharges off gas diagonally downward from the exhaust port 65 toward the rear of the vehicle 10.

(Undercover 23)
As shown in FIG. 5, the gas-liquid separation unit 22 is attached to the undercover 23 via the attachment portions 66 formed on the inner flange portion 56a and the outer flange portion 56b, respectively. The undercover 23 is made of aluminum, which has high thermal conductivity and excellent water resistance among metals. The undercover 23 has an under panel 95, a back panel 96B, and a side panel 96S. The gas-liquid separation unit 22 is attached to the under panel 95 and covers the periphery of the gas-liquid separation unit 22 from below. The back panel 96B is integrally connected to the rear end edge of the under panel 95 and covers the gas-liquid separation unit 22 from the rear. The side panel 96S is integrally connected to the outer edge of the under panel 95 and covers the gas-liquid separation unit 22 from the outside.

As shown in FIG. 6, the undercover 23 has an inclination angle θd (relative to the horizontal traveling surface 100) of the virtual line VLd in which the under panel 95 indicates the departure angle of the vehicle 10 in a plan view from the outside of the vehicle 10. It is attached to the vehicle 10 in a state of being inclined so that the portion closer to the front of the vehicle 10 is located below the vehicle 10 by the angle formed by the virtual line VLd). Further, the undercover 23 is attached to the vehicle 10 so that the under panel 95 is along the virtual line VLd.

As shown in FIG. 7, the under panel 95 covers the lower opening 16 of the containment chamber 15 around the gas-liquid separation unit 22. The under panel 95 has an exhaust opening 97 arranged so as to surround the exhaust port 65 of the gas-liquid separation unit 22. The exhaust opening 97 is located closer to the back panel 96B. Further, a bracket 98 (see FIG. 8) for supporting the guard member 24 is attached to the under panel 95 at a portion closer to the front of the vehicle 10. When a part of the under panel 95 constitutes the lower wall 56 of the lower housing 50, the exhaust port 65 is formed in the under panel 95.

Here, although various devices arranged in the accommodation chamber 15 are provided with measures against moisture from above the vehicle 10 such as rainwater, they are emitted from below the vehicle 10 like water vapor contained in off-gas. Measures against moisture may not be sufficient. Therefore, when the off gas containing water vapor is discharged from the exhaust port 65 when the vehicle 10 is stopped, if the off gas containing the water vapor enters the accommodation chamber 15, the water vapor may condense in various devices. There is. In this regard, the discharge device 20 has an undercover 23 that covers the lower opening 16 of the storage chamber 15 around the gas-liquid separation unit 22. By disposing such an undercover 23, it is possible to prevent off-gas containing water vapor discharged from the exhaust port 65 from entering the accommodation chamber 15 when the vehicle 10 is stopped.

(Guard member 24)
As shown in FIG. 8, the guard member 24 is made of a flexible elastic material such as EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate) resin. The guard member 24 is attached to the undercover 23 by fastening the attachment 99 to the bracket 98 while being sandwiched between the bracket 98 and the attachment 99. The guard member 24 has a rectangular shape, is positioned so as to overlap the drain pipe 63 in the vertical direction of the vehicle 10, and is separated from the center of the drain port 64 of the drain pipe 63 by a distance L to the rear of the vehicle 10. positioned. The upper end portion of the guard member 24 is located above the drain port 64, and the lower end portion 24a of the guard member 24 is a virtual line VLd indicating the departure angle of the vehicle 10 in a plan view from the outside of the vehicle 10. It is located below the horizontal traveling surface 100 by a height H. The distance L and the height H are preferably set based on an experiment for investigating the scattering of liquid water in an actual vehicle, and an example of the distance L is 40 mm and an example of the height H is 80 mm.

As shown in FIG. 9, in a plan view from the rear of the vehicle 10, the rear wheels 13 occupy the central region 13A and the central region 13A, which are regions closer to the center of the rear wheels 13, as regions occupied in the width direction of the vehicle 10. It has an outer region 13B, which is an outer region of the rear wheel 13, and an inner region 13C, which is an inner region of the rear wheel 13 with respect to the central region 13A. The drain port 64 of the gas-liquid separation unit 22 is arranged so as to be located in the central region 13A. The guard member 24 has a width substantially equal to the width of the rear wheel 13, and is substantially equal to the outer region 13B, the central region 13A, and the inner region 13C without protruding from the rear wheel 13 in the width direction of the vehicle 10. It covers the entire area.

As shown in FIG. 10, while the vehicle 10 is traveling, the liquid water W discharged from the drain pipe 63 of the gas-liquid separation unit 22 moves relative to the rear of the vehicle 10 due to inertia and traveling wind 101 accompanying the traveling. Is received by the guard member 24. The liquid water W received by the guard member 24 flows down the vehicle 10 through the guard member 24, and then falls from the lower end portion 24a of the guard member 24 and reaches the ground 102.

According to the fuel cell vehicle discharge device 20 of the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The guard member 24 can catch the liquid water discharged from the drain port 64. Further, the guard member 24 can discharge liquid water from a position lower than the drain port 64. As a result, it is possible to prevent the liquid water from scattering to the rear of the vehicle 10.

(2) Since the drainage port 64 is covered by the guard member 24 in a plan view from the rear of the vehicle 10, it becomes difficult to visually recognize the drainage from the drainage port 64 from the rear of the vehicle 10. Thereby, the appearance of the vehicle 10 from the rear can be improved.

(3) Since the drain port 64 of the gas-liquid separation unit 22 is located behind the rear wheel 13, the influence of the running wind on the liquid water discharged from the drain port 64 can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to further suppress the scattering of liquid water to the rear of the vehicle 10.

(4) Further, the drainage port 64 is located at a position facing the central region 13A of the rear wheel 13 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 10. As a result, the effect of (3) above becomes more remarkable.
(5) The guard member 24 covers almost the entire outer region 13B, central region 13A, and inner region 13C of the rear wheel 13 in the width direction of the vehicle 10. Therefore, even if the liquid water discharged from the drain port 64 flows in the width direction of the vehicle 10 due to, for example, a crosswind or a centrifugal force when turning left or right, the probability that the liquid water is received by the guard member 24 is increased. be able to.

(6) The guard member 24 is made of a flexible elastic material, and has a lower end portion 24a below the virtual line VLd indicating the departure angle of the vehicle 10. As a result, the position where the guard member 24 discharges the liquid water, that is, the lower end portion 24a can be installed at a lower position while avoiding the guard member 24 from obstructing the running of the vehicle 10. As a result, it is possible to further suppress the scattering of liquid water behind the vehicle 10.

(7) The guard member 24 is located at a position overlapping the drain pipe 63 in the vertical direction of the vehicle 10. As a result, since the guard member 24 is arranged at a position close to the drain port 64 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 10, the probability that the liquid water discharged from the drain port 64 is received by the guard member 24 can be further increased. ..

The above embodiment can be modified as appropriate and implemented as follows.
The guard member 24 may be arranged behind the drain pipe 63 in the vertical direction of the vehicle 10 without overlapping with the drain pipe 63.

The lower end portion 24a of the guard member 24 may be located above the virtual line VLd. In this case, the guard member 24 may be made of an elastic material, or may be made of, for example, a metal or a resin instead of the elastic material.

The drainage port 64 may be located in the outer region 13B of the rear wheel 13 or in the inner region 13C in a plan view from the rear of the vehicle 10.
The guard member 24 may cover the space below the drain port 64 from the rear of the vehicle 10 in a plan view from the rear of the vehicle 10. Therefore, the guard member 24 may protrude inward of the vehicle 10 from, for example, the rear wheel 13.

-The arrangement position of the drain port 64 can be changed according to the design items of each vehicle. For example, the drainage port 64 may be arranged not only behind the rear wheel 13 of the vehicle 10, but also behind, for example, the front wheel, or near the center in the width direction of the vehicle 10.

10 ... Vehicle, 11 ... Fuel cell, 13 ... Rear wheel, 13A ... Central area, 13B ... Outer area, 13C ... Inner area, 14 ... Powertrain, 15 ... Containment chamber, 16 ... Lower opening, 20 ... Fuel cell vehicle exhaust device, 21 ... duct, 22 ... gas-liquid separation unit, 23 ... undercover, 24 ... guard member, 24a ... lower end, 30 ... upper housing, 31 ... front wall, 32 ... upper wall, 33 ... Rear wall, 34 ... Inner side wall, 35 ... Outer wall, 36s ... Lower surface, 37 ... Discharge part, 38 ... Upper chamber, 38A ... First space, 38B ... Second space, 39 ... Support hole, 40 ... Introduction port, 41 ... Discharge port, 50 ... Lower housing, 51 ... Front wall, 52 ... Upper wall, 53 ... Rear wall, 54 ... Inner side wall, 55 ... Outer wall, 56 ... Lower wall, 56a ... Inner flange, 56b ... Outer flange , 58 ... Lower room, 58A ... 1st lower room, 58B ... 2nd lower room, 60 ... 1st communication port, 61 ... 2nd communication port, 63 ... Drain pipe, 64 ... Drain port, 65 ... Exhaust port, 66 ... Mounting part, 71 ... 1st guide plate, 72 ... 2nd guide plate, 74 ... Upper partition plate, 91 ... Lower partition plate, 95 ... Under panel, 96B ... Back panel, 96S ... Side panel, 97 ... Exhaust opening , 98 ... Bracket, 99 ... Fixture, 100 ... Horizontal running surface, 101 ... Running wind, 102 ... Ground.

Claims (5)

A gas-liquid separation unit that separates the water vapor from the off-gas by liquefying the water vapor contained in the off-gas from the fuel cell and discharges the liquefied generated water from a drainage port facing below the vehicle.
A fuel cell vehicle discharge device that is located behind the vehicle from the drain and includes a guard member that covers the space below the drain from the rear of the vehicle. The fuel cell vehicle drainage device according to claim 1, wherein the drainage port is located behind the wheels of the vehicle. The drainage port is located at a position closer to the center of the wheel in the width direction of the vehicle in a plan view from the rear of the vehicle.
The fuel cell vehicle discharge device according to claim 2, wherein the guard member covers from an outward position to an inward position of the wheel in the width direction of the vehicle in a plan view from the rear of the vehicle. The gas-liquid separation unit is located behind the rear wheels of the vehicle and is located behind.
The guard member is made of a flexible elastic material, and has a lower end portion below the virtual line indicating the departure angle of the vehicle in a plan view from the outside of the vehicle. The fuel cell vehicle discharge device according to any one of 3 to 3. The gas-liquid separation unit has the drainage port in an elbow pipe that extends forward of the vehicle and then extends downward of the vehicle.
The fuel cell vehicle discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the guard member is located at a position overlapping the elbow pipe in the vertical direction of the vehicle.