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KR-20260063587-A - A FUEL SUPPLY SYSTEM FOR FUEL CELL AND A FUEL CELL PROPULSION SHIP USING THE SAME

KR20260063587AKR 20260063587 AKR20260063587 AKR 20260063587AKR-20260063587-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 for storing ammonia, a vaporizer for vaporizing liquid ammonia supplied from the ammonia tank into ammonia gas, a pressure tank for pressurizing and storing ammonia gas supplied from the vaporizer, a reformer for reforming ammonia gas supplied from the pressure tank to produce hydrogen gas and nitrogen gas, and a fuel cell that receives the reformed gas from the reformer to produce electricity and supply electricity for ship propulsion, and improves the reforming efficiency in the reformer by increasing the vaporization rate of ammonia as the pressure inside the pressure tank maintains a preset pressure.

Inventors

  • 한민기
  • 송상준

Assignees

  • 삼성중공업 주식회사

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20241030

Claims (9)

  1. An ammonia tank equipped on board the vessel for storing ammonia; A vaporizer that vaporizes liquid ammonia supplied from the above ammonia tank into ammonia gas; A pressure tank for pressurizing and storing the ammonia gas supplied from the above vaporizer; A reformer that reforms the ammonia gas supplied from the pressure tank to produce hydrogen gas and nitrogen gas; and It includes a fuel cell that receives gas reformed from the above reformer to produce electricity and supplies electricity for ship propulsion, A fuel supply system for a fuel cell that improves reforming efficiency in the reformer by increasing the vaporization rate of the ammonia as the pressure inside the pressure tank maintains a preset pressure.
  2. In Article 1, It further includes a seawater line in which one end is connected to the outside and the other end passes through the vaporizer and is connected to the outside, receiving seawater from the outside and supplying it to the 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 vaporizer through the seawater line, used as a heat source in the vaporization process of the ammonia, and then travels along the seawater line to be discharged back to the outside.
  3. In Article 1, The above fuel cell and the above vaporizer are connected so as to be reciprocally connected, and further include a circulation line through which cooling water circulates to cool the reaction heat generated during the reaction of the fuel cell. The above cooling water is, A fuel supply system for a fuel cell that is drawn out to the circulation line in a state heated by the reaction heat in the fuel cell and passes through the vaporizer, whereupon it is used as a heat source for the vaporization process of the ammonia inside the vaporizer, and after the temperature is reduced, is recovered back to the fuel cell along the circulation line.
  4. In Article 1, A fuel supply system for a fuel cell further comprising a heater provided between the pressure tank and the reformer, which raises the temperature of the ammonia gas supplied from the pressure tank to the temperature required by the reformer.
  5. In Paragraph 4, It further includes a first 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 first waste heat line and is discharged to the outside after passing through the heater.
  6. In Paragraph 4, It further includes a second waste heat line connecting the fuel cell and the heater to transfer cooling water heated by waste heat generated during the reaction of the fuel cell to the heater. The above cooling water is, A fuel supply system for a fuel cell that is used as a heat source in the heater through the second waste heat line and is discharged to the outside after passing through the heater.
  7. In Paragraph 4, A third waste heat line is further included to enable reciprocal connection between a boiler provided within the vessel and a heater, 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 heater along the third waste heat line to be used as a heat source, and then recovered to the boiler along the third waste heat line after the temperature is reduced.
  8. In Article 1, The above pressure tank is, A fuel supply system for a fuel cell that is provided on the upper deck of the vessel without requiring a separate thermal insulation material, and is easy to control in temperature as it is possible to raise the internal temperature using an external heat source.
  9. 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 circulation line according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a drawing showing a first waste heat line and a second waste heat line according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a drawing showing a third 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 or arra