Abstract: A fuel cell system (100) comprising: a fuel cell (1) for generating electric power using a fuel gas; a fuel gas generator section (2) for generating the fuel gas using a raw material gas; a combustor section (2a) for generating heat energy to be used for generating the fuel gas; an air feeder section (2b) for feeding air when the heat energy is generated; and a controller section (101); wherein the fuel cell is filled with the raw material gas before the fuel gas is fed, and wherein the controller section (101) performs a control operation such that the feed rate of air supplied from the air feeder section (2b) to the combustor section (2a) increases when the fuel gas generated in the fuel gas generator section (2) is supplied to the fuel cell (1).

Abstract: A fuel cell system is provided, the system comprising: a fuel cell (1) configured to generate electric power by use of a fuel gas; a reformer (2) configured to generate the fuel gas by reforming a raw material; a combustion burner (2a) configured to supply heat for reforming; a raw material feeder (10) configured to control the feed rate of combustion fuel to the combustion burner; a combustion fan (2b) configured to supply air to the combustion burner; a fuel gas passage (R1, R4); an off gas passage (R3, R5); a bypass passage (R2); a switching valve (8); and a controller (101), wherein the inside of the fuel cell is filled with the raw material before the fuel gas is supplied, and wherein the controller controls the raw material feeder so as to reduce the feed rate of the combustion fuel to the combustion burner when controlling the switching valve so as to shut off the bypass passage to supply the fuel gas generated in the reformer to the fuel cell.

Abstract: It has heretofore been practiced upon the occurrence of abnormalities on the equipment to make tentative conditioned operation disregarding abnormalities on the assumption that the abnormalities shall be coped with by servicemen. Thus, troubles having insignificant contents of abnormality could not be readily coped with by a simple method. There are provided a fuel cell, a fuel gas supplying unit, an oxidizer gas supplying unit, a state detecting unit of detecting the temperature of the fuel gas supplying unit, an operation controlling unit of detecting abnormalities of predetermined functions performed by the fuel gas supplying unit utilizing the results detected by the state detecting unit and performing operation control in an operation mode corresponding to the contents of abnormalities, and an operation mode switching unit of switching to an operation mode corresponding to the contents of abnormalities.

Abstract: The fuel cell power generation system includes a fuel cell, a reformer, a carbon monoxide decreasing unit, a first raw material supply source, a first valve which is provided to a first raw material flow passage which is arranged between the first raw material supply sources and the reformer, a second valve which is provided downstream of the carbon monoxide decreasing unit, a second raw material supply source which supplies a raw material to the inside of a flow passage which is closed by the first valve and the second valve from a middle portion of the carbon monoxide decreasing unit or a downstream of the carbon monoxide decreasing unit, and a control unit which controls the first valve and the second valve, wherein the control unit, after the first valve and the second valve are closed, supplies the raw material fed from the second raw material supply source to the inside of the flow passage closed by the first valve and the second valve at the time of stopping the fuel cell power generation system.

Abstract: A fuel cell cogeneration system includes a fuel cell, a cooling water heat exchanger provided on a cooling water pathway, a stored hot water pathway through which stored hot water that exchanges heat with cooling water flows, a stored hot water tank, a stored hot water controlling device, a stored hot water temperature measuring device, a stored hot water flow rate adjusting device, a flow rate controlling device of controlling the stored hot water flow rate adjusting device and an exhaust gas heat exchanger of exchanging heat between exhaust gas from fuel processing devices and stored hot water. The flow rate controlling device controls the stored hot water adjusting device to reduce the flow rate of stored hot water flowing through the stored hot water pathway when the temperature of stored hot water is a first predetermined temperature or less during the starting of operation of the fuel cell.

Abstract: A power generation system (200) of the present invention comprises a power generation portion (202) configured to generate power, a load power detecting means (205) configured to detect a load power supplied from a power source including the power generation portion to a load, an operation stop determination means (209) configured to stop a power generation operation of the power generation portion based on the load power detected by the load power detecting means and a stop condition; and a stop condition setting means (220) configured to set the stop condition, wherein the stop condition setting means sets different stop conditions in a plurality of time periods, and wherein the operation stop determination means stops the power generation operation of the power generation portion based on each of the different stop conditions set by the stop condition setting means and the load power detected by the load power detecting means.

Abstract: A fuel cell system and an operation method thereof are provided, which are capable of properly executing special shutdown of the fuel cell system in the event of a trouble in purge operation by use of material gas. In the fuel cell system (100), if an abnormality occurs in a purge process by use of material gas during shutdown of the fuel cell system (100), the controller (11) brings, according to the contents of the abnormality, the opening/closing state of fuel electrode opening/closing devices (26, 23, 24) for opening and closing the outlet/inlet of a fuel electrode (13a), oxidant electrode opening/closing devices (25, 28, 20, 27) for opening and closing the outlet/inlet of an oxidant electrode (13c) or hydrogen generator opening/closing devices (21, 23, 22) for opening and closing the outlet/inlet of a hydrogen generator (12) into a state that is different from their opening/closing state when the purge process by use of the material gas is performed.

Abstract: A fuel cell system of the present invention includes: a fuel cell configured to generate electric power using a fuel; a fuel processor configured to generate the fuel from a power generation material and supply the fuel to the fuel cell; composition-related information acquiring means (22) for acquiring composition-related information related to the composition of the power generation material; and control parameter setting means (111) for setting control parameters for the fuel cell system based on the acquired composition-related information, the control parameters being related to a composition of the power generation material.

Abstract: A fuel cell system is disclosed in which the oxidative degradation of an anode of a fuel cell during an operation stop period is restrained.

Abstract: There is disclosed a fuel cell system according to the invention comprising; a material gas feeder (1); a reformer (3); a fuel cell (4); a combustor (5); communication passages (6A-6E); and a controller (20), wherein during a shutdown period of the fuel cell (4), the controller (20) determines whether the fuel cell system is in a normal condition where a shutdown operation of the fuel cell (4) is performed; and wherein if the controller (20) determines that the fuel cell system is not in the normal condition, the controller (20) controls the material gas feeder (1) to execute a material gas feed process before a next ignition of the combustor (5), the material gas feed process being performed such that the material gas is supplied to a hydrogen-containing gas flow path constituted by the reformer (3) and the communication passages (6A-6E) located between the reformer (3) and the combustor (5).

Abstract: A fuel cell power generation system of the present invention comprises a fuel cell (11), an object subjected to degradation determination (14, 15, 16) which is at least one of one or more fluid supply devices (14, 15, 16) that supply fluids associated with power generation in the fuel cell, a flow rate detecting means (18, 19, 20at directly or indirectly detects a flow rate of the fluid supplied from the object subjected to degradation determination, a flow rate control means (24) that controls the flow rate of the fluid supplied from the object subjected to degradation determination, a degradation determination means (25) that determines whether or not degradation has occurred in the object subjected to degradation determination (14, 15, 16) and an operation control means (26) that controls an operation of the fuel cell power generation system, and the degradation determination means (25) determines whether or not the degradation has occurred in the object subjected to degradation determination (14, 15, 16),

Abstract: The object of the invention is to provide a fuel cell system capable of performing appropriate, expeditious shutdown operation without use of an auxiliary power source and inert gas (nitrogen gas) in the event of an emergency stop situation such as a power failure. The fuel cell system (100) comprises: a fuel cell (12) configured to generate power by consuming a fuel gas and having an outlet port (104) through which the fuel gas flows out; a moisture removal unit (15) configured to remove moisture contained in the fuel gas that has been sent through the outlet port (104); a burner (16) located downstream of the moisture removal unit (15), for combusting the fuel gas; and a gas pipe on-off valve (18) configured to open and close a pipe (106) that makes the moisture removal unit (15) and the burner (16) communicate with each other, and the fuel cell system (100) is designed such that the gas pipe on-off valve (18) closes when the power generation stops.

Abstract: The present invention provides a fuel cell power generation system and method, which can realize, at least at one of time periods before start of and after end of power generation, a purging of an atmosphere of a fuel gas flow channel without using nitrogen. Further, it provides a fuel cell power generation system and method, in which a highly dense carbon monoxide can be prevented from flowing into the fuel cell.

Abstract: Problems of acceleration of drying of electrolyte membrane and local reaction, etc. can be properly coped with to attain the stabilization of performance of fuel cell.

Abstract: The present invention provides a fuel cell power generation system and method, which can realize, at least at one of time periods before start of and after end of power generation, a purging of an atmosphere of a fuel gas flow channel without using nitrogen. Further, it provides a fuel cell power generation system and method, in which a highly dense carbon monoxide can be prevented from flowing into the fuel cell.

Abstract: A hydrogen generating part is provided for reacting water and a raw material composed of carbon and hydrogen atoms to generate hydrogen gas, a raw material supply part is provided for supplying a raw material to the hydrogen generating part, a water supply part is provided for supplying water to the hydrogen generating part, a catalyst combustion part is provided, an air supply part is provided for supplying air to the catalyst combustion part, a path switching part is provided for switching raw material supply paths between the raw material supply part and the hydrogen generating part, a bypass path is provided for supplying a raw material to the catalyst combustion part from the path switching part, and a combustion gas path is provided for supplying combustion gas after the catalyst combustion part to the hydrogen generating part. The control part switches the path switching part, and the inside of the hydrogen generating part is replaced with combustion gas after the catalyst combustion part.

Abstract: The deterioration of the catalyst can occur during prolonged storage, occasionally causing the deterioration of the durability of the fuel cell.

Abstract: A cogeneration apparatus including a polymer electrolyte fuel cell that generates electric power using a fuel gas and oxidizing gas; an internal circulation circuit that circulates an internal heat transport medium into the fuel cell; internal circulating means of circulating the internal heat transport medium; first heat exchanging means of exchanging heat of the internal heat transport medium with an external heat transport medium; a fuel cell main unit that incorporates the fuel cell, the internal circulation circuit, the internal circulating means and the first heat exchanging means; and heat utilizing means of utilizing heat of the external heat transport medium heat-exchanged by the first heat exchanging means through waste heat collecting pipes.

Abstract: A fuel power generation system includes a reformer producing a hydrogen-rich fuel gas by reacting a raw material with vapor, a fuel cell generating power by using the fuel gas and an oxidizing gas, a raw material flow rate detecting instrument which detects the flow rate of the raw material supplied into said reformer, a water vapor flow rate detecting instrument which detects the flow rate of the water vapor supplied into said reformer, a fuel gas flow rate detecting instrument which detects the flow rate of the fuel gas produced in said reformer, and a deterioration degree detecting instrument which calculates the degree of deterioration of said reformer by comparing the calculated flow rate of the fuel gas calculated from the flow rate of the raw material and the flow rate of the water vapor with the detected flow rate of the fuel gas.

Abstract: To provide a fuel cell power generator capable of reliably recognizing ignition and misfire of a burner for heating a fuel gas generator and operating safely, a fuel cell power generator comprising, a fuel gas generator for generating a fuel gas composed mainly of hydrogen from a raw material for power generation and water, a water feeder for feeding water to the fuel gas generator, and a fuel cell for performing power generation using the fuel gas and oxidant gas is provided with: a burner for heating the fuel gas generator by combusting at least one combustion fuel selected from the group consisting of the raw material for power generation, the fuel gas, and an off-gas discharged from a fuel cell; and a flame detector for detecting the state of a flame formed in the burner.