Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell that generates power through electrochemical reaction between fuel gas and oxidant gas, a fuel gas supply path for supplying the fuel gas to an anode of the fuel cell, an offgas discharge path for discharging offgas from the anode of the fuel cell, a recycle gas path bifurcated from the offgas discharge path at a bifurcation and then joining the fuel gas supply path, a flow rate adjuster that is provided on the recycle gas path and adjusts a flow rate of gas flowing through the recycle gas path, a purge valve provided on the offgas discharge path downstream of the bifurcation, and a controller that controls the flow rate adjuster so that an internal pressure of the offgas discharge path upstream of the purge valve is positive.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell that generates electric power using fuel gas and oxidant gas, a fuel gas supply path through which the fuel gas is supplied to an anode inlet of the fuel cell, a recycle gas path through which anode off-gas discharged from an anode outlet of the fuel cell returns to the fuel gas supply path, and a pressure booster arranged in the recycle gas path, and the pressure booster is arranged above a confluence portion where the fuel gas supply path and the recycle gas path meet each other when gravity acts downward from above.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a first supply flow path, a second supply flow path, a recycle flow path, a circulator, a discharge flow path, a reservoir, a valve, and a controller. The controller opens the valve, determines an open time, for which the valve is opened to discharge the anode off gas, on the basis of the amount of water stored in the reservoir, the discharge time of water that flows through the discharge flow path to be discharged, and the discharge amount of the anode off gas that flows through the discharge flow path to be discharged, and closes the valve when an elapsed time for which the valve is opened reaches the open time.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell that generates electricity by an electrochemical reaction of a fuel gas with an oxidant gas; a supply channel that supplies the fuel gas to an anode; a recycle channel that supplies an anode off-gas discharged from the anode, as the fuel gas, to the supply channel; a discharge channel that is connected to the recycle channel between the anode and the circulation pump, that is arranged in the recycle channel, and that discharges the anode off-gas to outside; a controller that brings a purge valve, that is provided on the discharge channel, into an open state and determines whether a purge operation to discharge the anode off-gas to the outside is abnormal, and performs an operation to decrease a flow rate of the fuel gas supplied to the anode when determining that the purge operation is abnormal.

Abstract: A hydrogen generating apparatus includes a reformer generating hydrogen-containing gas through a reforming reaction, a raw material supplier supplying a raw material to the reformer, a reaction gas supplier supplying reaction gas other than the raw material to the reformer, a hydro-desulfurizer removing a sulfur compound in the raw material supplied to the reformer, a recycle flow passage through which part of the hydrogen-containing gas generated by the reformer is supplied to the hydro-desulfurizer, a closing device that closes the recycle flow passage, and a controller that, when stopping operation, closes the closing device and controls the raw material supplier and the reaction gas supplier such that the raw material and the reaction gas are supplied to the reformer, before a temperature of the reformer drops down to a temperature at which deposition of carbon from the raw material on a reformation catalyst disposed inside the reformer is suppressed.

Abstract: A hydrogen generator has: a reformer that produces hydrogen-containing gas from raw material gas through reforming; a temperature detector that detects the temperature of the reformer; a hydro-desulfurizer that removes sulfur from the raw material gas through hydrodesulfurization; a recycle flow passage through which recycle gas as a portion of the hydrogen-containing gas is supplied to the hydro-desulfurizer; a raw material gas flow detector that detects the flow rate of the raw material gas, the raw material gas flow detector located somewhere in a flow passage for the raw material gas upstream of a junction of the recycle gas and the raw material gas; and a controller that controls the flow rate of the recycle gas in accordance with the temperature of the reformer, the flow rate of the raw material gas, and the flow rate of the recycle gas.

Abstract: A hydrogen generation system including: a reformer generating hydrogen-containing gas using a raw material and reforming water; a combustor combusting hydrogen-containing gas and air and generating exhaust gas; a first channel passing cooling water; a condenser generating condensed water by heat exchange between exhaust gas and cooling water; a tank storing condensed water as cooling water; a pump supplying cooling water from the tank to the condenser; a second channel branching at a branch between the pump and condenser in the first channel, and passing some cooling water to the reformer as reforming water; a heater provided downstream of the branch, and heating the first channel; a temperature detector detecting the temperature of the first channel; and a controller, in an activation operation mode, determining whether the second channel is filled with reforming water, based on the temperature detected by the temperature detector after the heater has operated.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, an air supplier that supplies air to a cathode of the fuel cell, a flow rate sensor that senses an air flow rate, and a silencer that reduces sound of a certain frequency through interference of an acoustic wave, the flow rate sensor, the air supplier, and the fuel cell being arranged in an air passage in series in order named from an upstream side of flow of the air, the silencer being arranged in a branch portion of the air passage, the branch portion being between the flow rate sensor and the air supplier.

Abstract: A fuel cell system having a fuel cell using a fuel gas containing a combustible gas and an oxidant gas to generate power includes an exhaust gas route for an exhaust gas from the fuel cell to circulate, an air supplier absorbing air within the fuel cell system and supplying the air to the exhaust gas, an air supply route for the air to circulate, a merging part where the exhaust gas and the air merge, a discharge route discharging a mixed gas composed of the merged exhaust gas and the air to the atmosphere, and a combustible gas detector that detects the concentration of a combustible gas in the mixed gas. With respect to flow of the air circulating in the air supply route and the discharge route, from the upstream side, the air supplier, the merging part, and the combustible gas detector are disposed in this order.

Abstract: A power generation system includes: a combustor operative to combust a fuel; a power generator operative to utilize energy obtained from the combustor when generating electric power; a fuel supplier operative to supply the fuel to the combustor; an air supplier operative to supply combustion air to the combustor; a discharged gas passage through which a discharged gas from the combustor flows; a CO detector operative to detect CO in the discharged gas; a temperature detector operative to detect a temperature of the discharged gas; and control circuitry operative to, when the discharged gas is flowing through the discharged gas passage, perform at least one of an operation of detecting a structural abnormality of the discharged gas passage based on a difference between detected temperatures of the temperature detector relative to a difference between heated amounts of the discharged gas heated by a heater and an operation of detecting the structural abnormality of the discharged gas passage based on the differ

Abstract: A hydrogen generation apparatus according to the present invention includes: a reformer configured to generate a hydrogen-containing gas through a reforming reaction; a combustor configured to heat the reformer; an air supply device configured to supply air to the combustor; a fuel supply device configured to supply a fuel to the combustor; a CO detector configured to detect a carbon monoxide concentration in a flue gas discharged from the combustor; and a controller configured to control at least one of the air supply device and the fuel supply device to increase an air ratio in the combustor such that the CO concentration in the flue gas increases, and then test the CO detector for abnormality.

Abstract: A hydrogen generator includes a reformer that generates a hydrogen-containing gas from a source gas and reforming water, a condensed water channel through which condensed water flows, a circulating water channel through which circulating water flows, an ion exchange resin filter provided to the circulating water channel and deionizing the circulating water, a reservoir tank including a first reservoir provided to the condensed water channel and a second reservoir provided to the circulating water channel, a first communicator through which the first and second reservoirs are in communication with each other, and a reforming water channel that extends from a junction of the circulating water channel and supplies the circulating water as reforming water to the reformer. The pressure in the inner space of the first reservoir is maintained to be the same as the pressure in the inner space of the second reservoir.

Abstract: A hydrogen generation system includes a reformer that produces a hydrogen-containing gas from a raw material and reforming water, a combustor that burns the hydrogen-containing gas and air, an exhaust-gas path, a cooling-water path, a condenser that produces condensed water by exchanging heat between the exhaust gas and the cooling water, a water tank that stores the cooling water, a water pump that feeds the cooling water into the condenser, a reforming-water path along which part of the cooling water is passed into the reformer to serve as reforming water which is branched from the cooling-water path, and a controller. The water tank is disposed at a position higher than the water pump. The water pump is disposed at a position higher than the junction. The controller detects an insufficient supply of the cooling water on the basis of the rotational speed of the water pump.

Abstract: A fuel cell system including: a fuel cell that generates electricity; a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between an exhaust gas from the fuel cell and water; a heat dissipator that dissipates heat from the water; a circulation path along which the water circulates between the heat exchanger and heat dissipator; a circulation pump that circulates the water; a first detector that detects the temperature of the water flowing into the heat exchanger; a second detector that detects the temperature of the water flowing out from the heat exchanger; and a controller configured to adjust the circulation pump such that the temperature detected by the second detector becomes a first temperature, and, when the temperature detected by the first detector is equal to or greater than a threshold, adjust the circulation pump such that the temperature detected by the second detector becomes a second temperature higher than the first temperature.

Abstract: A power generation system of the present invention includes: a fuel cell unit (101) including a fuel cell (11) and a case (12); a controller (102); a combustion unit (103) provided outside the case (12) and configured to combust a combustible gas to supply heat; and a discharge passage (70) configured to cause the fuel cell unit (101) and the combustion unit (103) to communicate with each other, wherein in a case where an exhaust gas is being discharged to the discharge passage (70) from one of the fuel cell unit (101) and the combustion unit (103) and the controller (102) changes the flow rate of the exhaust gas discharged from the other unit, the controller (102) controls at least the flow rate of the exhaust gas discharged from the other unit such that the flow rate of the exhaust gas discharged from the one unit becomes constant.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell to generate electric power; a casing accommodating at least the fuel cell, the casing including an air inlet and an exhaust outlet; a supply passage connected to the air inlet, to introduce external air into the casing; an exhaust passage connected to the exhaust outlet, to exchange heat with the supply passage and discharge at least air inside the casing; an air supply device to introduce the external air into the casing; a temperature detector to detect a temperature; and a controller configured to control at least the air supply device. If the temperature detected by the temperature detector after the controller has caused the air supply device to operate is lower than or equal to a first predetermined temperature, the controller reduces an amount of air supplied by the air supply device and causes the air supply device to continue operating.

Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell unit including a solid oxide fuel cell and a mixer, the solid oxide fuel cell including an anode gas passage and a cathode gas passage, the mixer mixing an anode off gas discharged from the anode gas passage and a cathode off gas discharged from the cathode gas passage; a power-generating raw material supply device operative to supply a power-generating raw material to the fuel cell unit; a combustible gas passage, which extends from the power-generating raw material supply device to a downstream end of the anode gas passage; an oxidizing gas supply device operative to supply an oxidizing gas to the cathode gas passage; and a controller operative to, after electric power generation by the fuel cell unit is stopped, control the power-generating raw material supply device to supply the power-generating raw material in a volume more than or equal to a volume of the combustible gas passage to the combustible gas passage, and concurrently control the oxidizing g

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, an air supplier that supplies air to a cathode of the fuel cell, a flow rate sensor that senses an air flow rate, and a silencer that reduces sound of a certain frequency through interference of an acoustic wave, the flow rate sensor, the air supplier, and the fuel cell being arranged in an air passage in series in order named from an upstream side of flow of the air, the silencer being arranged in a branch portion of the air passage, the branch portion being between the flow rate sensor and the air supplier.

Abstract: A solid-oxide fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell unit including a solid-oxide fuel cell including an anode gas channel and a cathode gas channel and a mixer; an electric power generation raw material supplier; a combustible gas channel extending from the electric power generation raw material supplier to a downstream end of the anode gas channel; an oxidizing gas supplier; and a controller operative to, after electric power generation of the fuel cell unit is stopped, control the electric power generation raw material supplier to supply to the combustible gas channel the electric power generation raw material, the amount of which compensates for contraction of gas in the combustible gas channel due to temperature decrease of the fuel cell unit and also control the oxidizing gas supplier to supply the oxidizing gas to the cathode gas channel in accordance with the supply of the electric power generation raw material.

Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell system includes a solid oxide fuel cell that produces electricity by using a hydrogen-containing gas and an oxidant gas, an exhaust-gas path via which an exhaust gas discharged from the solid oxide fuel cell flows, a circulation path via which a coolant circulates, a first heat exchanger that is disposed on the exhaust-gas path and the circulation path and enables heat exchange between the exhaust gas and the coolant, a second path, via which condensed water produced when the exhaust gas is cooled in the first heat exchanger flows, that branches from the exhaust-gas path and is connected to the circulation path, a second tank that stores reservoir water, and a second heat exchanger that is disposed in the second tank and on the circulation path and enables heat exchange between the reservoir water and the coolant.