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KR-20260063586-A - A FUEL SUPPLY SYSTEM FOR FUEL CELL AND A FUEL CELL PROPULSION SHIP USING THE SAME

KR20260063586AKR 20260063586 AKR20260063586 AKR 20260063586AKR-20260063586-A

Abstract

A fuel supply system for a fuel cell according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises, provided within a ship, an ammonia tank in which ammonia is stored; a first vaporizer that vaporizes liquid ammonia supplied from the ammonia tank into ammonia gas; a second vaporizer that vaporizes liquid ammonia remaining in a liquid state without vaporization in the first vaporizer into ammonia gas; a reformer that reforms the ammonia gas supplied from the second vaporizer to produce hydrogen gas and nitrogen gas; and a fuel cell that receives the reformed gas from the reformer to produce electricity and supplies electricity for ship propulsion. By increasing the vaporization rate of ammonia through the first vaporizer and the second vaporizer, the reforming efficiency in the reformer is improved.

Inventors

  • 한민기

Assignees

  • 삼성중공업 주식회사

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20241030

Claims (8)

  1. An ammonia tank equipped on board the vessel for storing ammonia; A first vaporizer that vaporizes liquid ammonia supplied from the above ammonia tank into ammonia gas; A second vaporizer for vaporizing liquid ammonia remaining in a liquid state without being vaporized in the first vaporizer into ammonia gas; and It includes a reformer that reforms the ammonia gas supplied from the second vaporizer to produce hydrogen gas and nitrogen gas, and supplies the produced hydrogen gas to a fuel cell. A fuel supply system for a fuel cell that improves reforming efficiency in the reformer by increasing the vaporization rate of the ammonia through the first vaporizer and the second vaporizer.
  2. In Article 1, It further includes a seawater line, one end of which is connected to the outside and the other end of which passes through the first vaporizer and is connected to the outside, receiving seawater from the outside and supplying it to the first vaporizer. The above seawater is, A fuel supply system for a fuel cell that is introduced from the outside into the seawater line, supplied to the first vaporizer through the seawater line, used as a heat source in the vaporization process of the ammonia, and then discharged to the outside.
  3. In Article 1, One end is connected to the fuel cell, and the other end passes through the first vaporizer and is connected to the outside, and further includes a wastewater line that supplies wastewater generated after the fuel cell reaction from the fuel cell to the first vaporizer. The above wastewater is, A fuel supply system for a fuel cell that is generated and stored inside the fuel cell, supplied to the first vaporizer through the wastewater line, used as a heat source in the vaporization process of the ammonia, and then discharged to the outside.
  4. In Article 1, The fuel cell or the reformer and the second vaporizer are connected to allow for reciprocal movement, and further include a first circulation line through which cooling water circulates to cool the reaction heat generated during the reaction of the fuel cell or the reformer. The above cooling water is, A fuel supply system for a fuel cell that is drawn out to the first circulation line in a state heated by the reaction heat in the fuel cell or the reformer, passes through the second vaporizer, is used as a heat source for the vaporization process of the ammonia inside the second vaporizer, and is recovered back to the fuel cell or the reformer along the first circulation line after the temperature is reduced.
  5. In Article 1, A boiler provided within the vessel and a second vaporizer are connected to allow for reciprocal movement, and further include a second circulation line through which hot water or steam generated through the boiler circulates. The above hot water or steam is, A fuel supply system for a fuel cell that is heated through the boiler and supplied to the second vaporizer along the second circulation line to be used as a heat source, and then recovered to the boiler along the second circulation line after the temperature is reduced.
  6. In Article 1, A fuel supply system for a fuel cell further comprising a heater provided between the second vaporizer and the reformer, which raises the temperature of the ammonia gas supplied from the second vaporizer to a temperature required by the reformer.
  7. In Article 6, It further includes a waste heat line connecting the reformer and the heater to transfer waste heat from the exhaust gas generated during the ammonia reforming process of the reformer to the heater. The above exhaust gas is, A fuel supply system for a fuel cell that is used as a heat source in the heater through the above waste heat line and is discharged to the outside after passing through the heater.
  8. A fuel cell propulsion vessel equipped with a fuel supply system for a fuel cell according to claim 1.

Description

A fuel supply system for a fuel cell and a fuel cell propulsion ship using the same The present invention relates to a fuel supply system for a fuel cell and a fuel cell propulsion vessel using the same. More specifically, the invention relates to a fuel supply system for a fuel cell and a fuel cell propulsion vessel using the same, which improves the reforming efficiency of a reformer by increasing the vaporization rate of liquefied ammonia supplied from an ammonia tank and allows the vaporized ammonia gas to be easily controlled to the temperature and pressure conditions required by the reformer. Generally, fuel cells are devices that generate electrical energy by electrochemically reacting fuel and an oxidant; due to their excellent environmental compatibility, they are currently being applied and used in ships. As an example, a fuel cell propulsion vessel can propel itself by using liquefied gas, such as LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas), to generate electricity in a fuel cell and supplying the generated electricity to a propeller to operate the propeller. Recently, ships using ammonia, a carbon-free fuel, have been gaining popularity, and in the case of ammonia-fueled ships, it is necessary to produce hydrogen by reforming ammonia in real time through a reformer. Figure 1 illustrates an ammonia fuel-propelled vessel according to the prior art. Referring to FIG. 1, an ammonia fuel propulsion vessel (10) may be equipped with a plurality of storage tanks (11) in which ammonia fuel is stored, and liquefied ammonia supplied from the storage tanks (11) may be compressed and vaporized to a pressure required by a reformer (14) in a compressor or vaporizer (12), and then heated to a temperature required by a reformer (14) in a heater (13) and supplied to a fuel cell (15). At this time, in order to generate power within the fuel cell (15), specific pressure and temperature conditions must be met. Since the power production of the fuel cell (15) is greatly affected by the reforming efficiency of the reformer, it is important to increase the reforming efficiency. To this end, since the compressor or vaporizer (12) and heater (13) each require the installation of a device to control the pressure and temperature required by the reformer (14), there was a fatal limitation in that power generation efficiency was reduced because separate power or power produced from a fuel cell had to be used. Accordingly, the need was raised to develop a fuel supply technology capable of reforming and supplying ammonia fuel without using electricity produced from fuel cells or additional heat sources supplied from an external source. In addition, the need was raised to develop a fuel supply technology that improves the reforming efficiency of the reformer by increasing the vaporization rate of liquefied ammonia supplied from the ammonia tank, and enables easy control of the vaporized ammonia gas to the temperature and pressure conditions required by the reformer. Figure 1 illustrates a fuel cell propulsion vessel according to the prior art. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a fuel supply system for a fuel cell according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a drawing showing a seawater line and a wastewater line according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a drawing showing a first circulation line and a second circulation line according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a drawing showing a heater and a waste heat line according to one embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. The detailed description disclosed below, together with the attached drawings, is intended to describe exemplary embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to represent the only embodiment in which the present invention can be practiced. In order to clearly explain the invention in the drawings, parts unrelated to the explanation may be omitted, and the same reference numerals may be used for identical or similar components throughout the specification. In embodiments of the present invention, expressions such as “or”, “at least one”, etc. may represent one of the words listed together or a combination of two or more. In the following embodiments of the present invention, the size, thickness, and shape of each component are illustrated in an exaggerated manner for convenience of explanation, and the actual fuel supply system for a fuel cell may have different sizes and shapes. Additionally, the connection structure of the illustrated wiring is depicted in a simplified manner for convenience, and different connection forms may be applied. Although the upper, lower, and side parts are indicated based on specific components, this is for the convenience of explanation and may be interpreted as a direction different from the designated direction depending on the rotation