Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080208490 | FAILURE DETERMINATION DEVICE FOR CELL VOLTAGE MONITOR - A failure determination device for a cell voltage monitor which detects cell voltages of a plurality of single cells comprising a fuel cell stack comprises: a memory for storing cell voltages detected by the cell voltage monitor; a minimum value determination unit for determining whether or not a present cell voltage which the cell voltage monitor detects is equal to or lower than a minimum value cell voltage which is in a detectable range of the cell voltage monitor; a failure determination unit for determining that the cell voltage monitor has a failure when the minimum value determination unit determines that the present cell voltage is equal to or lower than the minimum value cell voltage, and a cell voltage detected by the cell voltage monitor in the past and stored in the memory is greater than a determination cell voltage. | 08-28-2008 |
20090286116 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF - The present invention provides a fuel cell system and a control method thereof that performs a scavenging process when the fuel cell is stopped, whereby stable electrical power production is ensured after startup, and faster startup is possible. The fuel cell system performs the scavenging process in which scavenging gas is supplied into an anode gas system when the fuel cell is stopped. When a startup request for the fuel cell is detected while the anode scavenging process is being performed, the concentration of hydrogen in the anode gas is detected, and then whether to continue the anode scavenging process and prohibit the fuel cell from starting, or to suspend the anode scavenging process and allow the fuel cell to start is determined based on this detected concentration of hydrogen in the anode gas system. | 11-19-2009 |
20090291341 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM - An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell system in which a noise and a vibration of a compressor can be suppressed. In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a fuel cell system including a fuel cell; a compressor for supplying an oxidant gas to the fuel cell, having a first rotational speed region within which as a rotational speed increases, a noise becomes greater than a predetermined value, and a second rotational speed region within which as the rotational speed increases, the noise becomes equal to or less than the predetermined value; and a compressor controller for controlling the compressor by calculating a command rotational speed for commanding the compressor based on a required amount of power generation. | 11-26-2009 |
20100203410 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM WITH COOLING AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME - A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell that generates an electric power and heat by a reaction of a reaction gas; a heat exchanger; a coolant circuit for a coolant between the fuel cell and the heat exchanger; a coolant circulating pump for circulating the coolant in the coolant circuit; and a drive motor for driving the coolant circulating pump, the coolant receiving and carrying the heat to the heat exchanger by the coolant circuit, the coolant circulating pump, and the drive motor. A rotational speed of the drive motor is controlled according to an upper limit of the rotational speed of the drive motor which may be determined on the basis of a cooling capacity of the heat exchanger, a speed of the vehicle mounting the fuel cell system, a generated electric power, and a flow rate of the reaction gas. | 08-12-2010 |
20110143244 | START-UP METHOD FOR FUEL CELL - A start-up method for a fuel cell system that includes a fuel cell that carries out power generation by the electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas and the oxygen gas in the air; a fuel gas discharge path and a fuel gas supply path that are connected to the fuel cell; a fuel gas circulation path in which the fuel gas discharge path merges with the fuel gas supply path; and a purge valve provided on the fuel gas circulation path in order to discharge the circulating fuel gas from the fuel gas circulation path. The method includes the steps of opening the purge valve at the same time that the fuel gas is supplied to the fuel cell and replacing the nitrogen gas that originates in the air and is present in the fuel gas circulation path by fuel gas; and closing the purge valve after the nitrogen gas in the fuel gas circulation path has been replaced by the fuel gas. | 06-16-2011 |
20120270126 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF - A fuel cell system that can quickly transition to idling stop and can suppress degradation of the electrolyte membrane and decline in cell voltage during idling stop, without requiring a discharge resistor to be provided, and a control method thereof are provided. A fuel cell system ( | 10-25-2012 |
20150086894 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM - A fuel cell system comprises: a turbo type oxidizing agent pump, the rotary shaft of which is pivotally supported by an air bearing to take in and supply an oxidizing agent gas to a fuel cell by the rotary motion; an actual flow rate detection means for the oxidizing agent gas; a pressure adjustment means for the oxidizing agent gas; a rotary speed monitoring means for the oxidizing agent pump; and a control means which, when the rotary speed of the oxidizing agent pump is within the range of the minimum rotary speed that allows the rotary shaft to be pivotally supported by the air bearing, if the actual flow rate of the oxidizing agent gas is larger than a target flow rate, increases the pressure of the oxidizing agent gas via the pressure adjustment means. | 03-26-2015 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100151290 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM AND METHOD OF STARTING FUEL CELL SYSTEM - A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a cathode supply passage, a cathode discharging passage, an anode supply passage, an anode discharging passage, a pair of cathode shutoff units, an anode shutoff unit, an anode discharging unit, a discharged gas processing unit, and a control unit. The control unit releases the sealing of the cathode passage by the pair of cathode shutoff units, at the time of start-up of the fuel cell system, and releases the sealing of the anode passage by the anode discharging unit, thereby performing a purge process to allow discharge of the anode gas. | 06-17-2010 |
20120141897 | COOLING METHOD FOR FUEL CELL - A start-up method for a fuel cell system that includes a fuel cell that carries out power generation by the electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas and the oxygen gas in the air; a fuel gas discharge path and a fuel gas supply path that are connected to the fuel cell; a fuel gas circulation path in which the fuel gas discharge path merges with the fuel gas supply path; and a purge valve provided on the fuel gas circulation path in order to discharge the circulating fuel gas from the fuel gas circulation path. The method includes the steps of opening the purge valve at the same time that the fuel gas is supplied to the fuel cell and replacing the nitrogen gas that originates in the air and is present in the fuel gas circulation path by fuel gas; and closing the purge valve after the nitrogen gas in the fuel gas circulation path has been replaced by the fuel gas. | 06-07-2012 |
20130323539 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM AND FUEL CELL SYSTEM CONTROL METHOD - A controller (control portion) of a fuel cell system is provided with a flow path switching control device that switches a thermostat valve (flow path switching valve) so that, after a fuel cell has stopped generating electric power, coolant is supplied to a radiator circulation path until the coolant temperature becomes a second temperature threshold value that is lower than a first temperature threshold value. | 12-05-2013 |
20140080018 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE FUEL CELL SYSTEM - A fuel gas supply apparatus of a fuel cell system includes a pressure reducing valve, an interruption valve, and an injector in a hydrogen supply channel. A controller of the fuel cell system includes a drive cycle setting unit for setting the drive cycle of the injector based on a load of the fuel cell stack, and a water state determination unit for determining whether or not quantity of water content in the fuel cell is excessive by determining whether or not the quantity of water content is a predetermined quantity or more. | 03-20-2014 |
20140162151 | HUMIDIFICATION CONTROL METHOD FOR FUEL CELL - A humidification control method includes the steps of detecting a direct current resistance component by measuring impedance during power generation of a fuel cell stack, calculating a reaction resistance component based on the detected direct current resistance component and a stack voltage, detecting a humidified state of the fuel cell stack based on the detected direct current resistance component and the calculated reaction resistance component, and adjusting a quantity of humidification of a reaction gas supplied to the fuel cell stack based on the detected humidified state of the fuel cell stack. | 06-12-2014 |