Abstract: A fuel cell power generation system includes a fuel gas generating means for generating a hydrogen-rich fuel gas from a source material having, as a main ingredient, a compound containing carbon and hydrogen; a source material supply source for supplying a source material to the fuel gas generating means; a fuel gas supply means for supplying the fuel gas from the fuel gas generating means to a fuel gas flow channel of a fuel cell at which channel a fuel electrode is placed; and a bypass means for supplying the source material from the source material supply source to the fuel gas flow channel, bypassing the fuel gas generating means. At least at one of time periods before start of and after end of power generation, the source material, as a displacement gas, is injected into the fuel gas flow channel of the fuel cell via the bypass means.

Abstract: A hydrogen generator of the invention includes: a reformer for generating a hydrogen-rich gas from a feed gas and water by a reaction using a reforming catalyst body and sending it out from an outlet port; a material feed system for feeding the feed gas to the reformer; a burner for supplying, to the reforming catalyst body, heat generated by mixing a fuel gas with air and burning it; and an air supply system for supplying air to the burner; wherein, when purging an interior of the reformer using the feed gas in shutting down the hydrogen generator, an amount of the air supplied is increased to put out a flame of the burner, and a purge gas sent out from the outlet port by the purging is mixed and diluted with the air in the burner and is discharged outside.

Abstract: A fuel cell power generation system includes a reforming catalyst body configured to generate a reformed gas containing hydrogen from a feed gas and water, a fuel cell configured to generate electric power by consuming the reformed gas, and a burner configured to combust an off gas containing hydrogen from the fuel cell as a fuel gas to generate the combustion gas used for heating the reforming catalyst body. The off gas from which steam has been separated is heated, and the heated off gas is fed to the burner as the fuel gas, the separated steam being condensed into water which is discharged outside the system.

Abstract: [OBJECT] A hydrogen generator is provided which includes a lightweight, small-heat-capacity, high-performance gas mixer and is good in hydrogen generating efficiency and response. [MEANS OF SOLVING] A hydrogen generator comprising: a mixed gas passage (9) configured to flow a mixed gas containing two or more components; first and second passages configured to branch off, at their leading ends, from the mixed gas passage and join to each other at their trailing ends; first turning means (45a) to (45d) formed in the first passage to turn the mixed gas flowing in the first passage in a first direction; second turning means (46a) to (46d) formed in the second passage to turn the mixed gas flowing in the second passage in a second direction opposite to the first direction; and a hydrogen generating section configured to generate hydrogen by causing a chemical reaction of the mixed gas which flows out from the joined trailing ends of the first and second passages.

Abstract: A hydrogen generation device of the present includes: a reforming unit for steam-reforming raw material containing at least carbon atoms and hydrogen atoms to generate a hydrogen-containing gas; a raw material supply unit for supplying a raw material to the reforming unit; a steam generation unit for supplying steam to the reforming unit, a steam generation unit temperature detection unit for detecting the temperature of the steam generation unit; a heating unit for supplying a combustion gas for successively heating the reforming unit and the steam generation unit by heat transfer, and a control unit.

Abstract: A body of a hydrogen generator includes a reformer configured to generate a reformed gas mainly containing hydrogen, a material passage configured to supply a reforming material, which is a material for a reforming reaction, to the reformer, a shifter configured to convert CO contained in a reformed gas obtained from the reformer into CO2, a reformed gas passage configured to supply the reformed gas obtained from the reformer to the shifter, and a passage for the shifted gas obtained from the shifter. The shifted gas passage and the material passage are adjacent to each other with a shared horizontal wall interposed therebetween, and thereby, heat from the shifted gas and radiant heat from the downstream end face of the shifter are transferred to the reforming material that travels in the material passage.

Abstract: A hydrogen generator comprises therein a reformer, a Shifter, a material flow passage with first evaporator through which a material is supplied to the reformer, a reformed gas flow passage for leading the reformed gas derived from the reformer to the Shifter, a shifted gas flow passage through which a shifted gas derived from the Shifter is taken out, and second steam flow passage formed adjacent to the reformed gas flow passage to be located at upstream side of the Shifter. The second evaporator is provided within the second steam flow passage. A part of heat of the reformed gas is recovered as latent heat by the second evaporator. Thereby, temperature of the Shifter is controlled.

Abstract: The present invention provides a fuel cell power generation system and method, which can realize, at least at one of time periods before start of and after end of power generation, a purging of an atmosphere of a fuel gas flow channel without using nitrogen. Further, it provides a fuel cell power generation system and method, in which a highly dense carbon monoxide can be prevented from flowing into the fuel cell.

Abstract: [OBJECT] A hydrogen generator is provided which includes a lightweight, small-heat-capacity, high-performance gas mixer and is good in hydrogen generating efficiency and response. [MEANS OF SOLVING] A hydrogen generator comprising: a mixed gas passage (9) configured to flow a mixed gas containing two or more components; first and second passages configured to branch off, at their leading ends, from the mixed gas passage and join to each other at their trailing ends; first turning means (45a) to (45d) formed in the first passage to turn the mixed gas flowing in the first passage in a first direction; second turning means (46a) to (46d) formed in the second passage to turn the mixed gas flowing in the second passage in a second direction opposite to the first direction; and a hydrogen generating section configured to generate hydrogen by causing a chemical reaction of the mixed gas which flows out from the joined trailing ends of the first and second passages.

Abstract: A hydrogen generator comprises a burner for generating a combustion gas, a reformer provided around the burner to generate a reformed gas containing hydrogen by a steam reforming reaction based on a feed material comprising a compound containing at least carbon and hydrogen and a steam, using heat transmission from a combustion gas generated by the burner, and an evaporator having an inner tube provided around the burner, an outer tube provided around the inner tube, and a bottom plate that closes a lower portion of a tubular space formed between the inner tube and the outer tube, the evaporator being configured to evaporate water supplied to the tubular space to generate a steam to be supplied to the reformer, wherein a water absorbing member having a water absorbing capability is provided in the tubular space.

Abstract: A hydrogen generation system may include a burner unit that generates combustion gas and a combustion gas passage through which the combustion gas generated by the burner unit flows. A reformer, having a reforming catalyst, generates a reformed gas containing hydrogen by steam reforming a feed material and steam using the heat from the combustion gas. An evaporator evaporates water into steam using the heat from the combustion gas, flowing through the combustion gas passage, and supplies the steam to the reformer. The combustion gas passage is arranged to cover at least a portion of an outer surface of the reformer, and the evaporator is arranged to cover at least a portion of an outer surface of the combustion gas passage.

Abstract: The present invention provides a fuel cell power generation system and method, which can realize, at least at one of time periods before start of and after end of power generation, a purging of an atmosphere of a fuel gas flow channel without using nitrogen. Further, it provides a fuel cell power generation system and method, in which a highly dense carbon monoxide can be prevented from flowing into the fuel cell.

Abstract: A hydrogen generating part is provided for reacting water and a raw material composed of carbon and hydrogen atoms to generate hydrogen gas, a raw material supply part is provided for supplying a raw material to the hydrogen generating part, a water supply part is provided for supplying water to the hydrogen generating part, a catalyst combustion part is provided, an air supply part is provided for supplying air to the catalyst combustion part, a path switching part is provided for switching raw material supply paths between the raw material supply part and the hydrogen generating part, a bypass path is provided for supplying a raw material to the catalyst combustion part from the path switching part, and a combustion gas path is provided for supplying combustion gas after the catalyst combustion part to the hydrogen generating part. The control part switches the path switching part, and the inside of the hydrogen generating part is replaced with combustion gas after the catalyst combustion part.

Abstract: In a hydrogen generator comprising a reforming unit having a material supply unit and a water supply unit, and a burner for heating the reforming unit, having a fuel supply unit and an air supply unit, a control unit is arranged for controlling the amount of air to be supplied from the air supply unit to the burner, based on the temperature of the reforming unit and the amount of a raw material supplied to the reforming unit, in order to make the combustion state of the burner stable so as to improves the operation and convenience thereof.

Abstract: To provide a fuel cell power generator capable of reliably recognizing ignition and misfire of a burner for heating a fuel gas generator and operating safely, a fuel cell power generator comprising, a fuel gas generator for generating a fuel gas composed mainly of hydrogen from a raw material for power generation and water, a water feeder for feeding water to the fuel gas generator, and a fuel cell for performing power generation using the fuel gas and oxidant gas is provided with: a burner for heating the fuel gas generator by combusting at least one combustion fuel selected from the group consisting of the raw material for power generation, the fuel gas, and an off-gas discharged from a fuel cell; and a flame detector for detecting the state of a flame formed in the burner.

Abstract: Disclosed is a hydrogen generator that simplifies a gas passage, improves durability, and makes evaporation state of steam uniform, and a fuel cell system comprising the hydrogen generator. A hydrogen generator (10) comprises a first tubular wall element (11), a second tubular wall element (12) disposed outside the first tubular wall element (11) and coaxially with the first tubular wall element (11), and a water evaporator (13) and a reforming catalyst body (14) which are arranged in an axial direction of the first and second tubular wall elements (11, 12) in a tubular space formed between the first and second tubular space (11, 12), a water inlet (41i) from which water is supplied to the water evaporator (13), and a feed gas inlet (40i) from which a feed gas is fed to the water evaporator (13).

Abstract: A body (50) of a hydrogen generator of the present invention includes a reformer (10) configured to generate a reformed gas mainly containing hydrogen, a reforming material passage (1) configured to supply a reforming material, which is a material for a reforming reaction, to the reformer, a CO shifter (15) configured to convert CO contained in a reformed gas obtained from the reformer (10) into CO2, a reformed gas passage (2) configured to supply the reformed gas obtained from the reformer (10) to the CO shifter (15), and a passage (3) for the shifted gas obtained from the CO shifter (15). The shifted gas passage (3) and the reforming material passage (1) are adjacent to each other with a shared horizontal wall (31) interposed therebetween, and thereby, heat from the shifted gas and radiant heat from the downstream end face (15b) of the CO shifter are transferred to the reforming material that travels in the reforming material passage (1).

Abstract: A fuel cell power generation system has inert gas supply means of supplying a particular inert gas at least to the reformer; and alternative gas supply means of supplying an alternative gas other than the particular inert gas at least to the reformer, wherein when the operation of the fuel cell is stopped, the alternative gas supply means is used to discharge hydrogen rich gas staying at least in the reformer if the stop of the operation of the fuel cell is an ordinary stop, and the inert gas supply means is used to perform the discharge if the stop of the operation of the fuel cell is an emergency stop.

Abstract: A hydrogen generator of the invention includes: a reformer for generating a hydrogen-rich gas from a feed gas and water by a reaction using a reforming catalyst body and sending it out from an outlet port; a material feed system for feeding the feed gas to the reformer; a burner for supplying, to the reforming catalyst body, heat generated by mixing a fuel gas with air and burning it; and an air supply system for supplying air to the burner; wherein, when purging an interior of the reformer using the feed gas in shutting down the hydrogen generator, an amount of the air supplied is increased to put out a flame of the burner, and a purge gas sent out from the outlet port by the purging is mixed and diluted with the air in the burner and is discharged outside.

Abstract: A hydrogen generator comprises a controller configured to control supply of a material from a material supply portion and supply of water from a water supply portion. The controller monitors a temperature of a water evaporator and a temperature of a reforming catalyst layer, and based on this monitored result, the controller properly controls water supply from the water supply portion to the water evaporator.