Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
429442000 | Including temperature | 41 |
20100136453 | THERMALLY PRIMED HYDROGEN-PRODUCING FUEL CELL SYSTEM - Thermally primed fuel processing assemblies and hydrogen-producing fuel cell systems that include the same. The thermally primed fuel processing assemblies include at least one hydrogen-producing region housed within an internal compartment of a heated containment structure. In some embodiments, the heated containment structure is an oven. In some embodiments, the compartment also contains a purification region and/or heating assembly. In some embodiments, the containment structure is adapted to heat and maintain the internal compartment at or above a threshold temperature, which may correspond to a suitable hydrogen-producing temperature. In some embodiments, the containment structure is adapted to maintain this temperature during periods in which the fuel cell system is not producing power and/or not producing power to satisfy an applied load to the system. In some embodiments, the fuel cell system is adapted to provide backup power to a power source, which may be adapted to power the containment structure. | 06-03-2010 |
20100151342 | TUBULAR FUEL CELL DESIGN WITH IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATING EFFICIENCY - In this improved tubular fuel cell design the anode and cathode current collectors also may perform as the gas diffusion members at the respective anode and cathode as well as external electrical contacts for current flow in the external circuit. The fuel cell has a sealing system that is designed to effectively keep the anode and cathode gases on their perspective sides of the proton exchange membrane separating the cathode and anode. The fuel cell has a hollow gas chamber designed to have very small pressure drops. The construction of the hollow anode gas chamber reduces pressure drop of the hydrogen, thus increasing overall reaction rate. The hollow cathode gas chamber may be designed with decreasing cross section from inlet to outlet in order to reduce the pressure drop in the chamber and thus optimize the reaction rate at the cathode. | 06-17-2010 |
20100203411 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM AND MOBILE OBJECT - A fuel cell system of the present invention is provided with a fuel cell, a fuel gas supply system that supplies a fuel gas to the fuel cell, and an oxidant gas supply system that supplies an oxidant gas to the fuel cell, and, when operation end processing is started, a flow rate of the fuel gas supplied to the fuel cell is increased only by a predetermined amount that is determined based on a temperature environment of the fuel cell system. As a result, when the operation of the fuel cell system is ended, the fuel gas at the optimum flow rate in accordance with the temperature environment is provided, thereby efficiently preventing deterioration of the fuel cell after the end of the operation. | 08-12-2010 |
20100227240 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM - The theme of the present invention is a fuel cell system capable of avoiding a disadvantage caused by the maintaining of a low-efficiency operation to improve the safety of a system operation. The fuel cell system is configured to perform the low-efficiency operation having a large power loss as compared with a usual operation at a predetermined low temperature to raise the temperature of a fuel cell in a short time as compared with the usual operation. The fuel cell system prohibits the low-efficiency operation to execute the usual operation, in a case where predetermined conditions are established at the predetermined low temperature. The predetermined conditions include a time when the generated power of the fuel cell cannot be consumed, a time when this generated power cannot be accumulated in a battery, or a time when the flooding of the fuel cell is generated. | 09-09-2010 |
20100239934 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING ROTATION SPEED OF COMPRESSOR - Even when the atmospheric pressure is lowered, a sufficient amount of oxidant gas is supplied to a fuel cell without causing any failure in a compressor. A control unit judges whether or not both the following conditions are satisfied: the accelerator opening degree detected by an accelerator opening degree sensor is equal to or larger than a predetermined opening degree; and the state where the atmospheric pressure detected by a pressure sensor is equal to or lower than a predetermined pressure value has been maintained for a predetermined time period or longer. If the judgment result is positive, the control unit changes the maximum rotation speed permitted in the compressor from a normal maximum rotation speed to an increased maximum rotation speed. The control unit then judges whether or not a predetermined time period has elapsed from when the maximum rotation speed was changed to the increased maximum rotation speed, and also judges whether or not the state where a discharge temperature of the compressor detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature has been maintained for a predetermined time or longer. If the result of at least one of these judgments is positive, the control unit returns the maximum rotation speed to the normal maximum rotation speed. | 09-23-2010 |
20100248058 | FUEL CELL MODULE - A heat storage unit is provided between a gas sealing member and a hydrogen storage alloy tank, and is thermally connected to the gas sealing member and the hydrogen storage alloy tank. The latent heat storage unit includes a first heat storage material having a melting point (dry-out temperature) at or below which the dry-out begins during the operation of a fuel cell and a second heat storage material having a melting point (flooding temperature) at or below which the flooding begins during the operation of the fuel cell. | 09-30-2010 |
20100255395 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF - There are provided a power generation unit, a fuel tank, a line, a mixing tank, a fuel circulation unit which circulates a mixture fuel from the mixing tank to the mixing tank via the power generation unit and the line, a fuel supplier which supplies the fuel from the fuel tank to the mixing tank, an air supplier which supplies air to a cathode, a power adjustment unit which adjusts the current applied to the load in accordance with a generated power output, a fan which adjusts the temperature of the power generator, and a control unit which detects the concentration and volume of the mixture fuel and manipulates, on the basis of a detection result, the fuel circulation unit, the fuel supplier, the load of the power adjustment unit, the air supplier and the fan to control the concentration and volume of the mixture fuel. | 10-07-2010 |
20100255396 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM - A fuel cell system has a flooding elimination mode as one of available operation modes of fuel cells and includes a drive controller. When the ambient temperature of the fuel cell system is not higher than a preset first temperature, the drive controller causes the fuel cells to be driven in the flooding elimination mode. When the ambient temperature of the fuel cell system is not lower than a preset second temperature that is higher than the first temperature, the drive controller prohibits the fuel cells from being driven in the flooding elimination mode. On the occasion of input of a checkup instruction of the fuel cells, the drive controller causes the fuel cells to be driven in the flooding elimination mode, independently of the ambient temperature. This arrangement effectively improves the user's convenience at the checkup time of the fuel cell system having the operation mode for eliminating the state of flooding. | 10-07-2010 |
20100273078 | FUEL CELL - The invention provides a fuel cell which can suppress an abnormal temperature rise by blocking a flow path from a fuel storing section to a fuel battery cell when the fuel cell has the abnormal temperature rise. The invention relates to a fuel cell ( | 10-28-2010 |
20100273079 | Fuel Cell Drive for a Motor Vehicle - The invention relates to a fuel cell drive for a motor vehicle, in particular a utility vehicle, with a fuel cell assembly ( | 10-28-2010 |
20100273080 | POWER SYSTEM - Provided is a power system capable of supplying power steadily to the outside even at a low temperature. A power supply unit disposed in the power system is configured to calculate an amount of power needed to heat a fuel cell to a temperature threshold when the temperature thereof measured by an FC sensor is below the temperature threshold, set an SOC lower limit by adding the calculated amount of power to a discharge threshold of a secondary battery, and control the power supply to a first power supply portion in the range of the SOC lower limit. | 10-28-2010 |
20100310960 | FUEL CELL IN WHICH PROTON CONDUCTIVE GEL IS USED AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF, AND ELECTRIC POWER GENERATION METHOD - An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell that operates in a temperature range of not lower than 100° C., and a method for manufacturing such a fuel cell. | 12-09-2010 |
20110027680 | Fuel cell system - There is provided a fuel cell system capable of improving the performance and operational stability of the fuel cell system by measuring the exact amount of flow of an oxidizer that is supplied to the fuel cell system. The fuel cell system includes a stack for generating electricity by an electrochemical reaction of a fuel and an oxidizer, an oxidizer supply device for supplying an oxidizer to the stack. A volume flow meter coupled to the oxidizer supply device. The volume flow meter measures a volume flow the oxidizer. | 02-03-2011 |
20110070515 | METHOD FOR CONTROLLING OPERATION OF FUEL CELL AT LOW TEMPERATURE - The present invention provides a method for controlling the operation of a fuel cell system at low temperature that can suitably prevent flooding in a cathode of a fuel cell stack during low-temperature operation, thus improving the operation stability and durability of the fuel cell stack. In preferred embodiments, the present invention provides a method for controlling the operation of a fuel cell system at low temperature, the method comprising determining whether the temperature of a fuel cell stack reaches a normal temperature; calculating, when it is determined that the temperature of the fuel cell stack is lower than the normal temperature, a target temperature at a cathode outlet to maintain water present in a cathode of the fuel cell stack in a vapor phase based on information related to an operation state of the fuel cell stack detected by an operation state detection means; and calculating a target amount of coolant based on the calculated target temperature at the cathode outlet and the information related to the operation state of the fuel cell stack, and controlling the amount of coolant supplied to the fuel cell stack based on the calculated target amount of coolant. | 03-24-2011 |
20110117467 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM - A first detection line is set in a lower temperature range than a limit line representing an upper limit temperature of a motor allowed by an inverter and represents a reference motor temperature at a required output for fuel cells as a temperature criterion where a controller changes over the means for achieving the sufficient hydrogen stoichiometric ratio from recycling hydrogen with a circulation pump to increasing the hydrogen concentration. When the motor temperature reaches or exceeds the first detection line at the required output for the fuel cells, the controller prevents an increase in rotation speed of the motor and regulates the openings of a shutoff valve and a regulator to increase the concentration of hydrogen supplied from a hydrogen tank to the fuel cells and thereby increase the hydrogen supply pressure. This arrangement effectively prevents an increase of the motor temperature, while achieving the sufficient hydrogen stoichiometric ratio. | 05-19-2011 |
20110129754 | Structure for Forming a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Stack - A solid oxide fuel cell system comprising a plurality of electrochemically active fuel cell cassettes connected in electrical series and bonded together by a plurality of glass seals to form a fuel cell stack. A dummy cassette containing a thermocouple is disposed within the fuel cell stack. Each cassette may have at least one alignment tab for receiving a rod to maintain stack alignment during sintering, and each fuel cell cassette has electrical terminals extending from a side of the stack for performance testing. The distribution manifold is attached to stack, and a spring subassembly is disposed against the stack and is attached to the manifold by tie rods to maintain a compressive load on the stack through sintering and subsequent use to prevent unloading and rupture of the glass seals. | 06-02-2011 |
20110136031 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE - According to an embodiment, in a fuel cell system, a power generator generates electric power with fuel in a fuel cell unit, first and second temperature detectors detect an ambient temperature and a generator temperature of a power generator in the fuel cell unit, respectively. A storage unit stores control temperatures corresponding to a plurality of temperature ranges to which the ambient temperature belong, and a control temperature setting unit determines corresponding one of the temperature ranges based on the ambient temperature, and sets one of the control temperatures which corresponds to the one of the determined temperature ranges. A control unit controls the amount of fuel supplied to the power generator according to the result of comparing the one of the control temperatures with the output of the second temperature detector. | 06-09-2011 |
20110195330 | FUEL CELL AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE - Provided is a fuel cell capable of stopping, during abnormal heat generation, a supply of fuel and/or air, and preventing additional abnormal heat generation. In an electrode structure (a heat generation section), a fusible porous film is disposed between a cathode electrode and a cathode-side exterior member, and a fusible porous film is disposed between an anode electrode and an anode-side exterior member. The fusible porous films and may be made of resin having a low melting point and being not soluble in fuel (methanol), or may be made of a combination of a porous film and polyolefin wax with a low melting point. When abnormal heat generation occurs in the fuel cell | 08-11-2011 |
20110250517 | GASEOUS FUEL SUPPLY SYSTEM FOR A FUEL CELL - The present invention discloses a gaseous fuel supply system for a fuel cell. The gaseous fuel supply system includes a first valve, a filter element, at least one pressure adjusting element, a first pipeline, a second valve, a flow rate detector, and a check valve. The first valve makes connection to a gaseous fuel supply source, and the filter element makes connection to the outlet of the first valve. The pressure adjusting element controls the gas pressure of fuel gas. The first pipeline makes connection between the pressure adjusting element and the second valve. The flow rate detector and the check valve are made connection sequentially after the second valve. In virtue of the plural detectors used in the gaseous fuel supply source, once an abnormal phenomenon is detected, the first valve and the second valve will be turned off by a control unit to enhance the safety of the fuel cell. | 10-13-2011 |
20120021321 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM - A fuel cell system ( | 01-26-2012 |
20120115059 | ELECTRICITY OUTPUT MANAGING SYSTEM FOR A FUEL CELL STACK - An electricity output managing system for a fuel cell stack is disclosed. It includes a fuel cell stack, many power switches, an electricity adjusting module, multiple thermal sensors, and a controller. This electricity adjusting module is provided to combine the electricity outputs from these power switches into a single final output. The thermal sensors can detect the inner temperature values of the fuel cell units. The controller can receive the inner temperature values via these thermal sensors and calculate an average of all the inner temperature values which is a floating one. When one of the inner temperature values falls outside a normal range or one of the inner temperature value's variation rates exceeding a preset reference value, the controller turns off the power switch of the corresponding fuel cell unit and sends out a warning signal. So, it can effectuate the fuel cell management by monitoring the inner temperatures of these fuel cell units. The managing system is judged by its floating average temperature. In addition, it can detect any abnormal fuel cell unit inside a fuel cell stack. | 05-10-2012 |
20120171590 | CONTROL DEVICE AND CONTROL METHOD FOR FUEL CELL SYSTEM - An anode non-circulation type fuel cell sets an anode upper limit pressure and an anode lower limit pressure, and sets an anode pressure increase rate based on at least a detected temperature of a fuel cell. The system controls the supply of an anode gas to the fuel cell so as to repeat pressure increase and pressure decrease. The pressure increase is conducted by supplying the anode gas to the anode upper limit pressure at the anode pressure increase rate. The pressure decrease is conducted by restricting the supply of the anode gas to the anode lower limit pressure. When the detected temperature of the fuel cell is lower than a predetermined temperature, the system sets the anode pressure increase rate at a slower rate than when the temperature of the fuel cell is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature. | 07-05-2012 |
20120183876 | FUEL CELL DEVICE - A fuel cell device and a method of operating the same, the fuel cell device being provided with a container; a cell stack stored inside the container, the cell stack comprising a plurality of fuel cells operable to generate electric power; a gas supply unit to supply oxygen-containing gas to the fuel cells; a supplying-power conditioning unit operable to adjust the quantity of generated electric power in the cell stack; a thermal sensor outside the container, operable to measure a measured temperature of the oxygen-containing gas supplied to the fuel cells; and a control unit operable to control the gas supply unit and the power conditioning unit such an amount of oxygen-containing gas supplied from the gas supply unit is increased if the measured temperature is higher than a predetermined temperature. | 07-19-2012 |
20120196201 | METHOD FOR THE EARLY DETECTION OF LIQUID WATER FORMATION IN A FUEL CELL - A method for the early detection of liquid water formation in a fuel cell ( | 08-02-2012 |
20120219873 | PROTON EXCHANGE MEMBRANE FUEL CELL - This invention relates to fuel cells, particularly proton exchange membrane fuel cells, more particularly to proton exchange membrane fuel cells employing nanocomposite sulphonated polystyrene-butadiene rubber-carbon nanoball (SPSBR-CNB) membranes as an electrolyte. | 08-30-2012 |
20120270130 | METHOD FOR SUPPLYING POWER FROM A FUEL CELL TAKING SULPHUR OXIDE POLLUTION INTO ACCOUNT, AND POWER SUPPLY DEVICE - The method for supplying power from a fuel cell detects a sulphur oxide in the oxidising gas of the cell and decreases the operating temperature of the cell when the quantity of sulphur oxide detected is greater than a predetermined threshold. The temperature decrease can vary according to the degradation rate of the performances. | 10-25-2012 |
20130029242 | MEMBRANE ELECTRODE ASSEMBLY AND FUEL CELL USING SAME - A membrane electrode assembly having a temperature responsive layer whose material permeability is reduced with temperature rise, on a laminate including an anode catalyst layer, an electrolyte membrane and a cathode catalyst layer in this order, and a fuel cell using the same are provided. The temperature responsive layer may be composed of a porous layer containing a temperature responsive material whose moisture content changes at a phase transition temperature. It is possible to repress increase in fuel supply amount to the anode catalyst layer in association with temperature rise, and moisture evaporation from the electrolyte membrane in association with temperature rise, and to prevent excessive temperature rise and thermal runaway of the fuel cell. | 01-31-2013 |
20130071766 | PROTON-CONDUCTING STRUCTURE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME - A proton-conducting structure that exhibits favorable proton conductivity in the temperature range of not lower than 100° C., and a method for manufacturing the same are provided. After a pyrophosphate salt containing Sn, Zr, Ti or Si is mixed with phosphoric acid, the mixture is maintained at a temperature of not less than 80° C. and not more than 150° C., and thereafter maintained at a temperature of not less than 200° C. and not more than 400° C. to manufacture a proton-conducting structure. The proton-conducting structure of the present invention has a core made of tin pyrophosphate, and a coating layer formed on the surface of the core, the coating layer containing Sn and O, and having a coordination number of O with respect to Sn of grater than 6. | 03-21-2013 |
20130078544 | SYSTEM AND METHOD OF LEVERAGING THERMAL PROPERTIES OF FUEL CELL SYSTEMS AND CONSUMER DEVICES - A fuel cell system for providing power to and leveraging waste heat from a consumer device, including a fuel cell stack that converts fuel to power at an operational temperature; a fuel source compartment that receives a fuel source that provides fuel to the fuel cell stack; an energy storage device; electrically connected to the fuel cell stack, that heats the fuel cell stack, receives power from the fuel cell stack, provides power to the device, and stores power from the fuel cell stack; and a thermal connection that directs waste heat from the device preferentially from the device to the fuel cell stack. | 03-28-2013 |
20130157161 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD FOR FUEL CELL SYSTEM - A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell stack; a fuel gas supply/exhaust unit; an oxidant gas supply/exhaust unit; and a control unit. The control unit determines whether there is a phenomenon in the fuel cell stack resulting from local power generation concentration within a plane of a membrane electrode assembly due to a water distribution. When it is determined that there is the phenomenon, the control unit controls at least one of the fuel gas supply/exhaust unit and the oxidant gas supply/exhaust unit. | 06-20-2013 |
20130183600 | FUEL CELL DEVICE - A fuel cell device capable of appropriately controlling stack temperature both before and after degradation of a fuel cell stack is provided. A fuel cell device furnished with a fuel cell stack, a fuel flow rate regulator unit, an air flow rate regulator unit, a generating chamber temperature sensor, and a control unit, whereby control unit controls supply flow rate AF so that stack temperature Ts is within temperature range A; control unit determines degradation of fuel cell stack and controls flow rate AF so that if fuel cell stack is not degrading, it increases flow rate AF to return stack temperature Ts to within the range A, and if degradation is ongoing, it does not permit an increase in flow rate AF to the supply amount required to return stack temperature Ts to the range A. | 07-18-2013 |
20130302713 | AIR SUPPLY AND EXHAUST STRUCTURE FOR FUEL CELL - An air supply and exhaust structure for supplying a reaction air to a fuel cell and exhausting the reaction air passing through the fuel cell includes: an intake duct configured to guide reaction air to the fuel cell; an exhaust duct configured to discharge the reaction air passing through the fuel cell to an outside of the fuel cell; a blower provided in the exhaust duct and configured to suck the reaction air passing through the fuel cell to promote discharge of the reaction air; and an exhaust side shield unit which is disposed inside the exhaust duct and between the fuel cell and the blower and configured to temporarily block the reaction air discharged from the fuel cell and to retain the reaction air in a periphery of the fuel cell so as to introduce the reaction air to the fuel cell. | 11-14-2013 |
20140038074 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ELECTRO-CHEMICAL REACTION - A method and an apparatus of reacting reaction components. The method comprises electro-chemically reacting reaction components on opposite sides of at least one membrane with at least one catalyst encompassing a respective volume. In another embodiment, the method includes conducting electrolysis, such as electrolysis of water. The apparatus includes at least one membrane with first and second sides encompassing a respective volume. The apparatus further includes at least one catalyst coupled to the first and second sides to electro-chemically react reaction components on the first and second sides in gaseous communication with the at least one catalyst, and a cover coupled to the at least one membrane to separate flow paths on the first and second sides. | 02-06-2014 |
20140199607 | REDOX FLOW BATTERIES BASED ON SUPPORTING SOLUTIONS CONTAINING CHLORIDE - Redox flow battery systems having a supporting solution that contains Cl | 07-17-2014 |
20140220469 | SENSOR INTEGRATED GLASS BULB TEMPERATURE PRESSURE RELIEF DEVICE DESIGN FOR HYDROGEN STORAGE SYSTEMS - A TPRD for a high pressure storage vessel including an integrated pressure sensor cooperative with an activation mechanism and a method of monitoring a TPRD for use in a fuel cell system. The TPRD comprises a release piston, moveable between an open and a closed position, which controls the flow of gas from a fuel storage vessel through a gas outlet port. The thermally activated activation mechanism comprises a gas-inlet chamber and a liquid-filled bulb having an air bubble. Upon activation, the release piston moves from the closed position to the open position. The integrated pressure sensor detects the pressure within the TPRD. A difference in pressure between that of the fluid within the fuel storage vessel and the pressure within the TPRD provides indicia of impaired movement of the release piston. | 08-07-2014 |
20140242490 | ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, ENERGY MANAGEMENT APPARATUS, AND POWER MANAGEMENT METHOD - A power management system | 08-28-2014 |
20140295309 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM AND OPERATION METHOD THEREOF - A fuel cell system includes a stack constituted by a set of fuel cells. An air supplier supplies air to an air electrode of the fuel cell and a hydrogen supplier supplies hydrogen to a fuel electrode of the fuel cell. A connector connects an air supply route for supplying the air to the air electrode from the air supplier and a hydrogen supply route for supplying the hydrogen to the fuel electrode from the hydrogen supplier. The hydrogen is supplied to the air electrode through the connector when the stack operates at a low temperature, which is equal to or lower than an optimal operating temperature. | 10-02-2014 |
20140363752 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING CABIN HEATING IN FUEL CELL VEHICLES - System and methods for controlling and optimizing coolant system parameters in a fuel cell system to obtain a requested cabin temperature in a fuel cell vehicle are presented. A method for managing a temperature in a vehicle cabin may include receiving an indication relating to a desired vehicle cabin temperature and a plurality of measured operating parameters. Based on the measured operating parameters, a projected output temperature of a cabin heat exchanger may be estimated. A determination may be made that the projected output temperature of the cabin heat exchanger is less than the indication. Based on the determination a fuel cell coolant parameter may be adjusted. | 12-11-2014 |
20150333349 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM AND POWER GENERATION PERFORMANCE RECOVERY METHOD OF A FUEL CELL IN A FUEL CELL SYSTEM - To recovers the power generation performance of a fuel cell system, a power generation performance recovery method of the fuel cell system comprises: stopping supply of an oxidant gas to the fuel cell; and after a voltage generated by the fuel cell is decreased to or below a predetermined first value and when temperature of the fuel cell is decreased to or below a predetermined second value, restarting the supply of the oxidant gas to the fuel cell and thereby restarting power generation of the fuel cell, so as to produce water and thereby recover voltage of the fuel cell. | 11-19-2015 |
20160006060 | METHOD OF CONTROLLING OPERATION OF FUEL CELL SYSTEM - A method of controlling the operation of a fuel cell system is provided. The method includes diagnosing a water shortage state in a fuel cell stack based on degradation of cooling performance and deterioration of the fuel cell stack and determining a diagnosis level of the fuel cell system based on the diagnosed water shortage state of the fuel cell stack. In addition, a regenerative operation is performed by selecting a regenerative operation mode which corresponds to the determined diagnosis level. | 01-07-2016 |
20160172695 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING POWER OF FUEL CELL | 06-16-2016 |