Abstract: An easy-to-assemble structure of a power converter includes a control circuit board, semiconductor modules with power terminals and control terminals extending therefrom, and a capacitor to smooth voltage to be applied to the semiconductor modules. The capacitor includes capacitor devices coupled to the power terminals and voltage measuring terminals joined to electrodes of the capacitor devices. The control terminals and the voltage measuring terminals extend in a direction normal to the surface of the control circuit board. This permits the connections of the voltage measuring terminals and the control terminals with the control circuit board to be achieved simultaneously by bringing them close to the control circuit board from the normal direction.

Abstract: An electric power conversion apparatus includes first and second electric power conversion devices and a housing. The first and second electric power conversion devices are arranged to overlap each other in an overlap direction. The housing receives both the first and second electric power conversion devices therein. The housing has a partition wall that extends between the first and second electric power conversion devices to partition the housing into first and second parts in which the first and second electric power conversion devices are respectively received. The partition wall has a coolant passage formed therein, thereby allowing a coolant to flow through the coolant passage.

Abstract: Fuel cells 100 of the invention are operable at a temperature of about 500° C. The unit cell has a solid oxide electrolyte layer formed on a hydrogen separable metal layer. An anode has a catalyst supported thereon to accelerate a reforming reaction of methane. A fuel gas is produced by reforming a hydrocarbon-containing material in a reformer 20. Setting a lower reaction temperature enables production of the fuel gas containing both methane and hydrogen. In the fuel cells 100 receiving a supply of the fuel gas, the reforming reaction of methane contained in the fuel gas proceeds simultaneously with consumption of hydrogen contained in the fuel gas. This methane reforming reaction is endothermic to absorb heat produced in the process of power generation and thereby equalizes the operation temperature of the fuel cells 100.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a polarized xenon gas manufacturing supply device that is provided with a polarization cell 6 that produces a polarized xenon gas by polarizing a mixture of xenon gas and a diluent gas that consists primarily of a high-boiling-point gas that has a boiling point higher than that of the xenon gas, and a condenser (9) that cools the mixed gas discharged from the polarization cell (6) and condenses and separates the high-boiling-point gas by using the difference in boiling points between the xenon gas and the high-boiling-point gas, wherein the supply device is constructed so as to re-vaporize the condensed liquid of the high-boiling-point gas produced by the condenser (9) and introduce it to the polarization cell (6). This polarized xenon gas manufacturing supply device makes it possible to continuously manufacture and supply highly polarized and highly concentrated xenon gas.

Abstract: A hydrogen fuel feeding system of a fuel cell system that has: a switching device for switching a reactor, that can carry out a reforming process and a regeneration process, between alternate statuses of a first status of feeding a reactant to the reactor while exhausting a fuel gas and a second status of feeding a gas for regeneration to the reactor while exhausting a regeneration exhaust gas; and a control apparatus for switching the switching device so that residual reforming gas, which is still remaining in the reactor before switching, is combusted in an exhaust air processor and not exhausted as the residual reforming gas without treatment when switching from the first status to the second status.

Abstract: The present invention is to present a dispenser which is capable of heating a liquid to an approximately constant temperature in the same time regardless of an aspiration amount of the liquid.

Abstract: An electrolyte layer (121) and a hydrogen-permeable metal layer (122) are fitted in a fitting portion (131) of a low thermal expansion member (130), and a cathode electrode (110) is provided on the electrolyte layer (121). Gas separators (100, 150) are provided such that a low thermal expansion member (130) is held between the gas separators (100, 150). Since the low thermal expansion member (130) is made of metal which has a thermal expansion coefficient lower than that of the hydrogen-permeable metal layer (122), thermal expansion of the hydrogen-permeable metal layer (122) can be suppressed. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce shear stress applied to an interface between the electrolyte layer (121) and the hydrogen-permeable metal layer (122) due to the thermal expansion. It is possible to suppress separation of the electrolyte layer (121) from the hydrogen-permeable metal layer (122) and occurrence of a crack in the electrolyte layer (121).

Abstract: A fuel cell of the invention has a hydrogen permeable metal layer, which is formed on a plane of an electrolyte layer that has proton conductivity and includes a hydrogen permeable metal. The fuel cell includes a higher temperature zone and a lower temperature zone that has a lower temperature than the higher temperature zone. The hydrogen permeable metal layer includes a lower temperature area A corresponding to the lower temperature zone and a higher temperature area B corresponding to the higher temperature zone. The lower temperature area A and the higher temperature area B have different settings of composition and/or layout of components. This arrangement effectively prevents potential deterioration of cell performance due to an uneven distribution of internal temperature of the fuel cell including the hydrogen permeable metal layer.

Abstract: A fuel reforming apparatus includes a reforming catalyst, a filtering member, a raw material supply flow passage and a processed gas flow passage. The filtering member has a plurality of cells. A reforming catalyst is carried on a surface of a partition on the side of the processed gas flow passage. If raw gas including hydrocarbon fuel is supplied to the fuel reforming apparatus and filtered by the filtering member, soot included in the raw gas is trapped by gaps in the partition, and the hydrocarbon fuel is reformed into reformed gas including hydrogen and carbon monoxide on the reforming catalyst. By increasing the amount of air supplied from a blower at intervals of time, the soot trapped by the partition is removed by combustion.

Abstract: A hydrogen fuel feeding system of a fuel cell system that has: a switching device for switching a reactor, that can carry out a reforming process and a regeneration process, between alternate statuses of a first status of feeding a reactant to the reactor while exhausting a fuel gas and a second status of feeding a gas for regeneration to the reactor while exhausting a regeneration exhaust gas; and a control apparatus for switching the switching device so that residual reforming gas, which is still remaining in the reactor before switching, is combusted in an exhaust air processor and not exhausted as the residual reforming gas without treatment when switching from the first status to the second status.

Abstract: The present invention provides a receiving optical subassembly (ROSA) with a co-axial shape and a stem for mounting semiconductor devices thereon that improves the high frequency performance of the ROSA. The ROSA mounts a photodiode (PD) and a pre-amplifier on a stem and the stem has a hollow the PD and the pre-amplifier are mounted therein. Since the hollow has a depth substantially equal to a thickness of the pre-amplifier, the bonding wire from the pre-amplifier to the surface of the stem may become shortest to reduce the parasitic inductance of the bonding wire and to enhance the high frequency performance of the ROSA.

Abstract: A power system of the invention includes fuel cells and a fuel gas generation system that generates a fuel gas to be supplied to the fuel cells. At the time of stopping supply of hydrogen, the fuel gas generation system selectively uses a stop process that replaces hydrogen in a hydrogen separator unit with the air for removal of hydrogen and a pause process that allows hydrogen to remain in the hydrogen separator unit. The stop process is selected when the fuel gas generation system stops the supply of hydrogen for a long time period. The pause process is selected when the fuel gas generation system temporarily stops the supply of hydrogen. The arrangement of the invention desirably shortens a restart time of the fuel gas generation system and reduces a potential energy loss.

Abstract: The invention provides an electrolyte membrane that allows an operating temperature of a solid polymer membrane fuel cell to be raised and an operating temperature of a solid oxide fuel cell to be lowered. This electrolyte membrane can be used in a fuel cell that is operable in an intermediate temperature range. The invention also provides a fuel cell using such an electrolyte membrane. The electrolyte membrane has a hydrated electrolyte layer, and dense layers made of a hydrogen permeable material that are formed on both sides of this electrolyte layer. Both sides of the electrolyte membrane are coated with dense layers. Consequently, evaporation of moisture contained in the electrolyte layer is suppressed, and increase in the resistance of the membrane is inhibited. As a result, the range of the operating temperature of the fuel cell can be enlarged.

Abstract: The present invention provides a hydrogen-generating apparatus comprising two catalytic reactors cyclically operating reforming and regeneration (combustion) mode, in which the reduction in reforming efficiency associated with an increase in switching frequency to the regeneration reaction can be suppressed, and generation of hydrogen by reforming can stably be performed. In the reforming reaction, a cathode offgas discharged from a hydrogen-separation-membrane fuel cell 30 having a hydrogen-permeating film is supplied to PSR reformers 10 and 20, in which the reforming reaction and the regeneration reaction are performed alternately.

Abstract: A hydrogen generation device includes a catalyst; a sulfur-trap member; a soot-trap member; a pair of reformers; and a control portion. In each reformer, a reforming reaction is carried out to generate hydrogen-containing gas using gasoline and cathode off-gas on the catalyst, and an exothermic reaction is carried out to heat the catalyst using anode off-gas and air. The control portion executes a control such that the reactant and the exothermic material are alternately supplied to each reformer, whereby the reforming reaction and the exothermic reaction are alternately carried out in each reformer. A fuel cell system includes the hydrogen generation device.

Abstract: The present invention is to present a dispenser which is capable of heating a liquid to an approximately constant temperature in the same time regardless of an aspiration amount of the liquid.

Abstract: A specimen analyzing method and a specimen analyzing apparatus capable of measuring interference substances before analyzing a specimen. The method comprises a step for sucking the specimen stored in a specimen container (150) and sampling it in a first container (153), a step for optically measuring the specimen in the first container, a step for sampling the specimen in a second container (154) and preparing a specimen for measurement by mixing the specimen with a reagent in the second container, and a step for analyzing the specimen for measurement according to the results of the optical measurement of the specimen.

Abstract: An electrolyte layer (121) and a hydrogen-permeable metal layer (122) are fitted in a fitting portion (131) of a low thermal expansion member (130), and a cathode electrode (110) is provided on the electrolyte layer (121). Gas separators (100, 150) are provided such that a low thermal expansion member (130) is held between the gas separators (100, 150). Since the low thermal expansion member (130) is made of metal which has a thermal expansion coefficient lower than that of the hydrogen-permeable metal layer (122), thermal expansion of the hydrogen-permeable metal layer (122) can be suppressed. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce shear stress applied to an interface between the electrolyte layer (121) and the hydrogen-permeable metal layer (122) due to the thermal expansion. It is possible to suppress separation of the electrolyte layer (121) from the hydrogen-permeable metal layer (122) and occurrence of a crack in the electrolyte layer (121).

Abstract: A fuel cell having a single cell 20 comprises a hydrogen permeable metal layer 22 and a cathode 24 as layers equipped with catalytic metal for promoting a reaction of a labile substance supplied to the fuel cell during production of electricity in the fuel cell. Also, the fuel cell has an electrolyte layer 21 formed with a solid oxide. The electrolyte layer 21 has a high grain boundary density electrolyte layer 27, and low grain boundary density electrolyte layers 25 and 26 as decomposition reaction suppress parts to suppress a decomposition reaction of the solid oxide due to the catalyst metal.

Abstract: An exhaust emission control system of an internal combustion engine desorbs SOx by reversing a flow of an exhaust gas through an NOx storage-reduction catalyst, of which a structure is simplified as follows. A first exhaust pipe connected to an engine is connected to a first port of an emission switching valve having four ports. A second exhaust pipe 10, through which the exhaust gas is discharged into the atmospheric air, is connected to a second port, a third exhaust pipe connected to an inlet of a catalytic converter is connected to a third port. A fourth exhaust pipe connected to an outlet of the catalytic converter 30 is connected to a fourth port. When the emission switching valve is set in a forward flow position, the first exhaust pipe is connected to the third exhaust pipe, and the second exhaust pipe is connected to the fourth exhaust pipe, whereby the exhaust gas flows toward the outlet from the inlet within the catalytic converter.