Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090253003 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM AND METHOD OF SCAVENGING FUEL CELL SYSTEM - A fuel cell system is provided with a fuel cell that supplies fuel gas to an anode electrode and that supplies oxidant gas to a cathode electrode to generate electric power; a scavenging gas supply device that scavenges the inside of the fuel cell; a temperature detection device that detects a temperature of the inside of the fuel cell; a deterioration countermeasure scavenging device that executes deterioration countermeasure scavenging by the scavenging gas supply device and replaces the accumulated gas accumulated in the anode electrode with the scavenging gas; and a sub-zero countermeasure scavenging device that executes sub-zero countermeasure scavenging with a greater flow volume than the scavenging gas supplied during the deterioration countermeasure scavenging and to discharge the generated water in the inside of the fuel cell. | 10-08-2009 |
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 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100129692 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM - A fuel cell system includes an idle stop unit, a discharger, a power-generation-state memory, and an initial-current-value setter. The idle stop unit is configured to stop a supply of the reactant gas to a fuel cell. The discharger is configured to allow the fuel cell to generate the electric power with the reactant gas remaining in the fuel cell after the idle stop unit stops the supply of the reactant gas and is configured to discharge electric current to a current receiver. The power-generation-state memory is configured to store a power-generation state of the fuel cell immediately before the idle stop unit stops the supply of the reactant gas. The initial-current-value setter is configured to set an initial current value of the fuel cell discharged by the discharger on a basis of the power-generation state of the fuel cell stored in the power-generation-state memory. | 05-27-2010 |
20120225364 | METHOD OF STOPPING OPERATION OF FUEL CELL SYSTEM - A method includes an in-stop-mode power generating process of, if an instruction to stop an operation of a fuel cell is detected, stopping supply of a fuel gas, and supplying an oxide gas to the fuel cell to generate power from an oxide-gas supply apparatus, and then stopping power generation of the fuel cell, and a gas replacing process of, after the power generation of the fuel cell is stopped, activating the gas replacement apparatus at a predetermined timing to supply a replacement gas to the anode side of the fuel cell to replace the fuel gas on the anode side with the replacement gas. | 09-06-2012 |
20120225365 | METHOD FOR CONTROLLING FUEL CELL SYSTEM - A method includes determining, if an instruction to stop a operation of a fuel cell is detected, whether an in-stop-mode power generating process has been executed, a fuel gas being to be stopped and an oxide gas being to be supplied to the fuel cell to generate power from the oxide-gas supply apparatus in the in-stop-mode power generating process, and shortening a time for a diluting process to be executed by a scavenging apparatus when it is determined that the in-stop-mode power generating process has been executed, as compared with a case where it is determined that the in-stop-mode power generating process has not been executed. | 09-06-2012 |
20120251910 | METHOD FOR CONTROLLING FUEL CELL SYSTEM - A method includes an in-stop-mode power generating process and a first startup process. In the a first startup process, if an operation start instruction to start a fuel cell system is detected after the in-stop-mode power generating process, supply of a fuel gas from a fuel-gas supply apparatus is started, and supply of an oxide gas from an oxide-gas supply apparatus is started after a predetermined time has elapsed from the starting of supply of the fuel gas, when a pressure of an anode side is equal to or lower than a first threshold pressure. | 10-04-2012 |
20140295306 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME - In a method for controlling a fuel cell system, a shutoff valve is opened to supply a fuel gas from a storage container to a fuel cell after a fuel cell system shutdown instruction is sent to the fuel cell system so that the fuel cell generates and discharges electricity. The storage container is supplied to the fuel gas supplied from a fuel supply source provided outside the fuel cell system in response to a filling instruction to supply the fuel gas to the storage container. A data signal indicating a state of the storage container is transmitted to the fuel supply source. The shutoff valve is closed and the storage container is supplied to the fuel gas supplied from the fuel supply source if the filling instruction is output while opening the shutoff valve after the fuel cell system shutdown instruction is sent. | 10-02-2014 |
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 |
20080248341 | Fuel cell system and control method thereof - The object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell system enabling an improvement in fuel consumption and a method for controlling thereof. A fuel cell system | 10-09-2008 |
20080299426 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING AIR-FLOW RATE THEREIN - A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell for generating electricity using a chemical reaction between hydrogen and air supplied thereto; a diluter for diluting hydrogen discharged from the fuel cell with air discharged from the fuel cell; a request load air amount calculation unit for calculating an amount of air required for generating electricity in the fuel cell which meets request load; a dilution air amount calculation unit for calculating an amount of air to be supplied to the fuel cell that provides an amount of discharged gas required for diluting hydrogen in the diluter to a specific concentration; and an air supply control unit for supplying air to the fuel cell in an amount which is the larger amount selected from between the amount of air calculated in the request load air amount calculation unit and the amount of air calculated in the dilution air amount calculation unit. | 12-04-2008 |
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 |
20100055511 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM - A fuel cell system calculates amount of fluid discharged from a fuel gas circulation path with water and fuel gas in accordance with an ordinary process map if inside an anode is not scavenged when a fuel cell stops electrochemical reaction; measures amount of water remaining in a fuel gas circulation path in accordance with cumulative electricity output, temperature, or elapsed time after starting the electrochemical reaction if the inside the anode is scavenged previously; and determines whether the inside the fuel gas circulation path is in dry condition or humid condition. The fuel cell system calculates amount of fluid discharged from the fuel gas circulation path with water or the fuel gas in accordance with a map predetermined for the dry condition if the fuel cell system determines that the inside the fuel gas circulation path is in the dry condition. The fuel cell system calculates the amount of the fluid to be discharged with the water or the fuel gas in accordance with the ordinary map if the fuel cell system determines that the inside the fuel gas circulation path is in the humid condition. Accordingly, wasteful discharge of fuel gas can be prevented in a purging operation after starting up the fuel cell system. | 03-04-2010 |
20110171548 | FUEL CELL DEVICE - A fuel cell device is equipped with an ECU | 07-14-2011 |
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 |
20120301803 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF - A fuel cell system includes an ECU that sets the fuel cell stack to a state of idling stop by lowering both a revolution speed of an air pump and a discharge current value of the fuel cell stack to less than during idling power generation within a range larger than 0, in response to a predetermined idling stop initiation condition having been satisfied during idling power generation. The ECU decreases the discharge current value further as the lowest cell voltage value CV_low of the fuel cell stack decreases so that the lowest cell voltage value CV_low does not fall below a cancellation threshold B, with an event of the lowest cell voltage CV_low of the fuel cell stack having fallen below the cancellation threshold B as a cancellation condition of idling stop. | 11-29-2012 |
20120301804 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF - A fuel cell system is provided that can establish, for a long time period, a stack to an idling stop state. The fuel cell system includes: an idling stop control means for setting the stack to an idling stop state by, decreasing both a supplied amount of air to the stack and generated electric current produced from the stack to less than during the idling power generation; and a discharge valve control means for determining whether there is a necessity to discharge nitrogen or generated water inside of the anode system, and for opening the purge valve or drain valve in a case of there being a necessity. The discharge valve control means shortens valve open times (PO | 11-29-2012 |
20140004438 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM AND METHOD OF OPERATING FUEL CELL SYSTEM | 01-02-2014 |