Patents by Inventor Shigenori Onuma

Shigenori Onuma has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20200099084
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack constituted by cells, each of the cells includes a fuel electrode, an air electrode, and an electrolyte, and generate electric power through a reaction of a fuel gas and air, a casing that houses the fuel cell stack, a temperature detector that detects a first temperature, the first temperature is a temperature of the fuel cell stack or inside the casing, and a controller. The controller controls based on the first temperature so as to allow an operation at a first predetermined temperature. The controller controls such that the first temperature reaches a temperature higher than or equal to a second predetermined temperature for a predetermined time. The second predetermined temperature is a temperature at which 475° C. embrittlement that occurs on stainless steel is eliminated. The first predetermined temperature is lower than the second predetermined temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Publication date: March 26, 2020
    Inventors: SHIGENORI ONUMA, TOMOHIRO KUROHA
  • Publication number: 20200028192
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell stack including a plurality of cells, each of which has a fuel electrode, an air electrode, and an electrolyte, and performs a power generation by a reaction between a fuel gas and air; a fuel supplier supplying the fuel gas to the fuel electrode; an air supplier supplying the air to the air electrode; a voltage detector detecting the voltage of the fuel cell stack; and a controller stopping the supplying of the fuel gas by the fuel supplier and the supplying of the air by the air supplier when the voltage of the fuel cell stack detected by the voltage detector is decreased to be lower than a threshold voltage after the power generation of the fuel cell stack is stopped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2019
    Publication date: January 23, 2020
    Inventors: SHIGENORI ONUMA, TAKASHI KAKUWA, YUICHI MIKAMI, TOMOHIRO KUROHA
  • Publication number: 20190305331
    Abstract: The fuel cell of the present disclosure includes: a unit cell including: a fuel electrode, an air electrode and electrolyte disposed between the fuel electrode and the air electrodes; a separator for separating a fuel gas flowing though the fuel electrode and air flowing through the air electrode; and a sealing constituted of a glass composition for bonding the separator and the electrolyte, and at least a surface region of the sealing portion exposed to the fuel gas and the air does not contain Ba.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2019
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Inventors: TAKEHITO GOTO, SHIGENORI ONUMA, TOMOHIRO KUROHA
  • Publication number: 20190305332
    Abstract: The fuel cell of the present disclosure includes: a fuel single cell comprising a fuel electrode, an air electrode, and an electrolyte disposed between the electrodes; a separator for separating a fuel gas flowing through the fuel electrode and air flowing through the air electrode; and a sealing portion for hermetically bonding between the separator and the electrolyte, wherein the sealing portion is constituted of a glass composition containing at least two of metallic or metalloid elements contained in the electrolyte and at least two of metallic or metalloid elements contained in the separator; the electrolyte includes a proton conductor; and the proton conductor is represented by a compositional formula: BaZr1-xMxO3, where 0.05?x?0.5; and M is at least one selected from the group consisting of Sc, In, Lu, Yb, Tm, Er, Y, Ho, Dy, and/or Gd.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2019
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Inventors: SHIGENORI ONUMA, TOMOHIRO KUROHA, TAKEHITO GOTO
  • Publication number: 20190288316
    Abstract: A SOFC system includes: a fuel cell stack; a reformer; an air supplier: a combustor; and a controller. In a stop control of the above system, the controller calculates an average of ratios of the air to the raw material supplied to the reformer as a first average, in a case in which a molar fraction of a hydrogen component in the anode off-gas is higher than a molar fraction of a raw material component in the anode off-gas, and calculates the average of the ratios of the air to the raw material supplied to the reformer as a second average, in a case in which the molar fraction of the hydrogen component in the anode off-gas is lower than the molar fraction of the raw material component in the anode off-gas. The controller controls the air supplier so that the first average is higher than the second average.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2019
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Inventors: TAKASHI KAKUWA, SHIGENORI ONUMA, YUICHI MIKAMI
  • Patent number: 10364149
    Abstract: A hydrogen generation system including: a reformer generating hydrogen-containing gas using a raw material and reforming water; a combustor combusting hydrogen-containing gas and air and generating exhaust gas; a first channel passing cooling water; a condenser generating condensed water by heat exchange between exhaust gas and cooling water; a tank storing condensed water as cooling water; a pump supplying cooling water from the tank to the condenser; a second channel branching at a branch between the pump and condenser in the first channel, and passing some cooling water to the reformer as reforming water; a heater provided downstream of the branch, and heating the first channel; a temperature detector detecting the temperature of the first channel; and a controller, in an activation operation mode, determining whether the second channel is filled with reforming water, based on the temperature detected by the temperature detector after the heater has operated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jin Zhang, Shigenori Onuma, Hidenobu Wakita, Yoichiro Tsuji, Akinori Yukimasa, Hiromi Kita, Masashi Morita
  • Patent number: 10320016
    Abstract: A high-temperature fuel cell system includes a fuel cell that includes an anode and a cathode and that generates power by using a fuel gas and an oxidant gas, a fuel-gas path along which the fuel gas flows, an oxidant-gas path along which the oxidant gas flows, an anode-off-gas path along which an anode off-gas flows, a cathode-off-gas path along which a cathode off-gas flows, a combustion space in communication with the anode-off-gas path and the cathode-off-gas path and in which the anode off-gas and the cathode off-gas are burned, a flue-gas path along which a flue gas flows, a cathode-off-gas branch portion disposed on the cathode-off-gas path between the combustion space and the cathode and at which some of the cathode off-gas is branched from the cathode-off-gas path, and a first heat exchanger that enables heat exchange between the oxidant gas, the flue gas, and the cathode off-gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Osamu Sakai, Kunihiro Ukai, Yasushi Kaneko, Shigenori Onuma, Takashi Kakuwa
  • Patent number: 10305132
    Abstract: A high-temperature fuel cell system includes a reformer that reforms a hydrocarbon-based raw fuel to generate a reformed gas containing hydrogen, a fuel cell that generates power by using the reformed gas and an oxidant gas, and a burner that heats the reformer. The burner includes an anode-off-gas gathering portion that has an anode-off-gas ejection hole and at which an anode off-gas discharged from an anode of the fuel cell gathers. The anode-off-gas gathering portion surrounds a first cathode-off-gas passing area through which a cathode off-gas discharged from a cathode of the fuel cell passes. The anode-off-gas ejection hole is formed such that the anode off-gas ejected upward from the anode-off-gas ejection hole approaches the cathode off-gas passing upward through the first cathode-off-gas passing area. The anode off-gas ejected from the anode-off-gas ejection hole and the cathode off-gas that has passed through the first cathode-off-gas passing area are burned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takashi Kakuwa, Shigenori Onuma
  • Publication number: 20180309145
    Abstract: A high-temperature operation fuel cell system includes a cell stack; a reformer; a raw material supplier supplying a raw material to the reformer; a water supplier supplying reforming water; an air supplier supplying electric power generation air; a combustion chamber in which an off-gas from the cell stack is combusted and which heats the cell stack and the reformer; an igniter igniting the off-gas in the combustion chamber; and a controller. In a start-up sequence, the controller controls so that the raw material is supplied to the reformer, the electric power generation air is supplied to the cell stack, the off-gas is ignited by the igniter, and after the ignition, the supply of the reforming water is started, and after the supply of the reforming water is started, the controller further controls the air supplier to increase the flow rate of the electric power generation air in a stepwise manner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2018
    Publication date: October 25, 2018
    Inventors: JIN ZHANG, SHIGENORI ONUMA, TAKASHI KAKUWA, MASASHI MORITA
  • Patent number: 10096851
    Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell unit including a solid oxide fuel cell and a mixer, the solid oxide fuel cell including an anode gas passage and a cathode gas passage, the mixer mixing an anode off gas discharged from the anode gas passage and a cathode off gas discharged from the cathode gas passage; a power-generating raw material supply device operative to supply a power-generating raw material to the fuel cell unit; a combustible gas passage, which extends from the power-generating raw material supply device to a downstream end of the anode gas passage; an oxidizing gas supply device operative to supply an oxidizing gas to the cathode gas passage; and a controller operative to, after electric power generation by the fuel cell unit is stopped, control the power-generating raw material supply device to supply the power-generating raw material in a volume more than or equal to a volume of the combustible gas passage to the combustible gas passage, and concurrently control the oxidizing g
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignees: PANASONIC CORPORATION, TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Yasushi Kaneko, Shigenori Onuma, Kunihiro Ukai, Akinori Yukimasa, Hiroshi Shirahama, Toshiharu Otsuka, Hiromi Kita, Taiichiro Sakamoto, Toshiharu Ooe
  • Patent number: 10079396
    Abstract: A solid-oxide fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell unit including a solid-oxide fuel cell including an anode gas channel and a cathode gas channel and a mixer; an electric power generation raw material supplier; a combustible gas channel extending from the electric power generation raw material supplier to a downstream end of the anode gas channel; an oxidizing gas supplier; and a controller operative to, after electric power generation of the fuel cell unit is stopped, control the electric power generation raw material supplier to supply to the combustible gas channel the electric power generation raw material, the amount of which compensates for contraction of gas in the combustible gas channel due to temperature decrease of the fuel cell unit and also control the oxidizing gas supplier to supply the oxidizing gas to the cathode gas channel in accordance with the supply of the electric power generation raw material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignees: PANASONIC CORPORATION, TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Shigenori Onuma, Yasushi Kaneko, Kunihiro Ukai, Akinori Yukimasa, Yosuke Akagi, Takeshi Saito
  • Patent number: 10014536
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a reformer generating a reformed gas using a raw material; a fuel cell generating electric power; a raw material supply passage; a hydro-desulfurizer operative to remove sulfur component in the raw material; a recycle passage through which the reformed gas is supplied to the raw material supply passage provided upstream of the hydro-desulfurizer; a temperature detector detecting a temperature of the hydro-desulfurizer; and a controller, wherein: when the temperature of the hydro-desulfurizer reaches a predetermined temperature, the controller increases a flow rate of the raw material from a predetermined flow rate by a flow rate corresponding to a flow rate of the recycled gas, and then, the controller starts supplying the recycled gas to the recycle passage; and after the recycled gas reaches an upstream end of the recycle passage, the controller returns the flow rate of the raw material to the predetermined flow rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignees: Panasonic Corporation, TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Shigenori Onuma, Noboru Taniguchi, Yasushi Kaneko, Toru Sukawa, Osamu Sakai, Yuichi Mikami, Hiroshi Shirahama, Toshiharu Otsuka
  • Publication number: 20180105418
    Abstract: A hydrogen generation system including: a reformer generating hydrogen-containing gas using a raw material and reforming water; a combustor combusting hydrogen-containing gas and air and generating exhaust gas; a first channel passing cooling water; a condenser generating condensed water by heat exchange between exhaust gas and cooling water; a tank storing condensed water as cooling water; a pump supplying cooling water from the tank to the condenser; a second channel branching at a branch between the pump and condenser in the first channel, and passing some cooling water to the reformer as reforming water; a heater provided downstream of the branch, and heating the first channel; a temperature detector detecting the temperature of the first channel; and a controller, in an activation operation mode, determining whether the second channel is filled with reforming water, based on the temperature detected by the temperature detector after the heater has operated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2017
    Publication date: April 19, 2018
    Inventors: JIN ZHANG, SHIGENORI ONUMA, HIDENOBU WAKITA, YOICHIRO TSUJI, AKINORI YUKIMASA, HIROMI KITA, MASASHI MORITA
  • Publication number: 20180006317
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel feeder that supplies fuel, a fuel cell stack that generates power through an electrochemical reaction using air and a hydrogen-containing gas generated from the fuel, a temperature sensor that senses the temperature of the fuel cell stack, and a controller. The fuel cell stack has a membrane electrode assembly including an electrolyte membrane through which protons can pass, a cathode on one side of the electrolyte membrane, and an anode on the other side of the electrolyte membrane. The controller defines an upper limit of current output from the fuel cell stack on the basis of the temperature of the fuel cell stack and the supply of the fuel and keeps the current output from the fuel cell stack at or below the upper limit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2017
    Publication date: January 4, 2018
    Inventors: YUKIMUNE KANI, KUNIHIRO UKAI, SHIGENORI ONUMA
  • Publication number: 20170338506
    Abstract: A high-temperature fuel cell system includes a reformer that reforms a hydrocarbon-based raw fuel to generate a reformed gas containing hydrogen, a fuel cell that generates power by using the reformed gas and an oxidant gas, and a burner that heats the reformer. The burner includes an anode-off-gas gathering portion that has an anode-off-gas ejection hole and at which an anode off-gas discharged from an anode of the fuel cell gathers. The anode-off-gas gathering portion surrounds a first cathode-off-gas passing area through which a cathode off-gas discharged from a cathode of the fuel cell passes. The anode-off-gas ejection hole is formed such that the anode off-gas ejected upward from the anode-off-gas ejection hole approaches the cathode off-gas passing upward through the first cathode-off-gas passing area. The anode off-gas ejected from the anode-off-gas ejection hole and the cathode off-gas that has passed through the first cathode-off-gas passing area are burned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2017
    Publication date: November 23, 2017
    Inventors: TAKASHI KAKUWA, SHIGENORI ONUMA
  • Publication number: 20170338505
    Abstract: A high-temperature fuel cell system includes a fuel cell that includes an anode and a cathode and that generates power by using a fuel gas and an oxidant gas, a fuel-gas path along which the fuel gas flows, an oxidant-gas path along which the oxidant gas flows, an anode-off-gas path along which an anode off-gas flows, a cathode-off-gas path along which a cathode off-gas flows, a combustion space in communication with the anode-off-gas path and the cathode-off-gas path and in which the anode off-gas and the cathode off-gas are burned, a flue-gas path along which a flue gas flows, a cathode-off-gas branch portion disposed on the cathode-off-gas path between the combustion space and the cathode and at which some of the cathode off-gas is branched from the cathode-off-gas path, and a first heat exchanger that enables heat exchange between the oxidant gas, the flue gas, and the cathode off-gas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2017
    Publication date: November 23, 2017
    Inventors: OSAMU SAKAI, KUNIHIRO UKAI, YASUSHI KANEKO, SHIGENORI ONUMA, TAKASHI KAKUWA
  • Publication number: 20170250418
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell; a reformer to generate a hydrogen-containing gas; an electric power generation raw material supply unit; a reforming material supply unit configured to supply at least one of reforming water and reforming air, to the reformer; an oxidizing gas supply unit to supply an oxidizing gas to a cathode of the fuel cell; a combustor to ignite an exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell; and a controller. In an operation stop process of the fuel cell system, the controller causes the oxidizing gas supply unit to supply the oxidizing gas, causes the electric power generation raw material supply unit and the reforming material supply unit to intermittently supply the electric power generation raw material and at least one of the water and the air to the reformer, and causes the ignitor to perform an ignition operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2015
    Publication date: August 31, 2017
    Inventors: Shigenori ONUMA, Kunihiro UKAI, Hiroshi SHIRAHAMA, Takeshi SAITO, Yosuke AKAGI, Taiichiro SAKAMOTO, Toshiharu OOE, Toshiharu OTSUKA
  • Publication number: 20170092969
    Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell unit including a solid oxide fuel cell and a mixer, the solid oxide fuel cell including an anode gas passage and a cathode gas passage, the mixer mixing an anode off gas discharged from the anode gas passage and a cathode off gas discharged from the cathode gas passage; a power-generating raw material supply device operative to supply a power-generating raw material to the fuel cell unit; a combustible gas passage, which extends from the power-generating raw material supply device to a downstream end of the anode gas passage; an oxidizing gas supply device operative to supply an oxidizing gas to the cathode gas passage; and a controller operative to, after electric power generation by the fuel cell unit is stopped, control the power-generating raw material supply device to supply the power-generating raw material in a volume more than or equal to a volume of the combustible gas passage to the combustible gas passage, and concurrently control the oxidizing g
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2015
    Publication date: March 30, 2017
    Inventors: Yasushi KANEKO, Shigenori ONUMA, Kunihiro UKAI, Akinori YUKIMASA, Hiroshi SHIRAHAMA, Toshiharu OTSUKA, Hiromi KITA, Taiichiro SAKAMOTO, Toshiharu OOE
  • Publication number: 20170047601
    Abstract: A solid-oxide fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell unit including a solid-oxide fuel cell including an anode gas channel and a cathode gas channel and a mixer; an electric power generation raw material supplier; a combustible gas channel extending from the electric power generation raw material supplier to a downstream end of the anode gas channel; an oxidizing gas supplier; and a controller operative to, after electric power generation of the fuel cell unit is stopped, control the electric power generation raw material supplier to supply to the combustible gas channel the electric power generation raw material, the amount of which compensates for contraction of gas in the combustible gas channel due to temperature decrease of the fuel cell unit and also control the oxidizing gas supplier to supply the oxidizing gas to the cathode gas channel in accordance with the supply of the electric power generation raw material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2015
    Publication date: February 16, 2017
    Inventors: Shigenori ONUMA, Yasushi KANEKO, Kunihiro UKAI, Akinori YUKIMASA, Yosuke AKAGI, Takeshi SAITO
  • Patent number: 9515329
    Abstract: A fuel cell system including a fuel cell; a cathode air heat exchanger configured to perform heat exchange between a cathode exhaust gas and the air to be supplied to the cathode to transfer a part of heat energy of the cathode exhaust gas to the air; a desulfurization unit configured to remove a sulfur component from a raw material supplied to the desulfurization unit; and a reformer configured to generate a reformed gas which is the fuel from steam and the raw material from which the sulfur component has been removed by the desulfurization unit; and the cathode exhaust gas which has lost a part of the heat energy by the heat exchange in at least the cathode air heat exchanger, is supplied to the desulfurization unit, to heat the desulfurization unit by the heat energy of the cathode exhaust gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shigenori Onuma, Kunihiro Ukai, Takehiro Maruyama