Abstract: 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circulation path by fuel gas; and closing the purge valve after the nitrogen gas in the fuel gas circulation path has been replaced by the fuel gas.

Abstract: 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circulation path by fuel gas; and closing the purge valve after the nitrogen gas in the fuel gas circulation path has been replaced by the fuel gas.

Abstract: To provide a fuel cell vehicle capable of reducing power consumption during a time of stopping of the vehicle. The fuel cell vehicle includes a scavenging execution determination unit 411 which determines whether or not to carry out scavenging; an ISU 40 including a microcomputer 41 installed on the scavenging execution determination unit 411. The fuel cell vehicle further includes an electrical supply circuit 43, in which, at a time of start-up by an alarm clock 46, the ISU 40 is booted, and in a case in which it is determined by the scavenging execution determination unit 411 that scavenging is to be carried out, the circuit 43 supplies electricity to the relay unit 36; and in a case in which it is determined by the scavenging execution determination unit 411 that scavenging is not to be carried out, it does not supply electricity to the relay unit 36.

Abstract: A fuel cell system comprising: an anode gas flow path supplied with an anode gas; a cathode gas flow path supplied with a cathode gas; a fuel cell generating electricity by the anode gas being supplied to the anode gas flow path and the cathode gas being supplied to the cathode gas flow path; an anode gas supplying unit supplying the anode gas to the anode gas flow path; a blowdown valve ejecting fluid from inside the anode gas flow path towards an exterior; and a control unit which controls the anode gas supplying unit and the blowdown valve, supplies the anode gas from the anode gas supplying unit to the anode gas flow path, and performs a periodic fluid substitution by opening the blowdown valve periodically, wherein the control unit comprises a low temperature condition determination unit.

Abstract: A fuel cell system comprising: an anode gas circulation path comprising an anode gas supplying path and an anode gas ejection path; a fuel cell; a blowdown valve; and a control unit controlling the blowdown valve, wherein the control unit comprises a freeze estimation unit estimating whether the anode gas circulation path is likely to freeze, a pressure reduction unit reducing a pressure of the anode gas circulation path, and a pressure condition confirmation unit confirming a pressure of the anode gas circulation path; and when the freeze estimation unit estimates a freezing when the fuel cell stops generating electricity, the blowdown valve is closed, a pressure of the anode gas circulation path is reduced by the pressure reduction unit, and, the blowdown valve is opened after the pressure condition confirmation unit confirms that a pressure of the anode gas circulation path reaches a predetermined pressure less than or equal to an atmospheric pressure, thereby moving a moisture inside the anode gas circula

Abstract: There is provided a fuel cell for generating a electric power by a reaction of a reaction gas, a reaction gas flow path through which the reaction gas passes, purge section for purging the reaction gas flow path with a purging gas, a purge judging section for judging as to whether or not a purging operation by the purge section is required, and a failure detecting section for detecting a failure of a judgment support device. When the failure of the judgment support device is detected by the failure detecting section, the reaction gas flow path is purged by the purge section when stopping the power generation of the fuel cell.

Abstract: This fuel cell system is equipped with a fuel cell having a reaction gas flow passage, generating power by the reaction gas being supplied to the reaction gas flow passage, having a refrigerant flow passage, and cooled by the refrigerant being supplied to the refrigerant flow passage; a reaction gas supply device for supplying the reaction gas to the reaction gas flow passage; a refrigerant supply device for supplying the refrigerant to the refrigerant flow passage; a refrigerant supply restriction device for restricting a refrigerant supply amount to the refrigerant flow passage; and a controller for controlling the refrigerant supply restriction device, wherein the reaction gas refrigerant supply devices have a drive device in common and are integrally driven, and wherein when warming up the fuel cell, the controller controls the refrigerant supply restriction device and reduces the refrigerant supply amount to the refrigerant flow passage.

Abstract: A fuel cell system and a method for scavenging it are provided. The fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a fuel gas passage, an oxidant gas passage, a communicating passage, a communicating valve, a monitoring device, a valve controller, a scavenging device and a computing device. The monitoring device monitors a state transition of the fuel cell after a termination of power generation. The valve controller opens the communicating valve when a signal indicative of the state transition meets a predetermined criterion. The scavenging device includes a first scavenging device for the oxidant gas passage, and a second scavenging device for the fuel gas passage. The computing device computes an amount of the oxidant gas required for scavenging according to a system shut off time. The scavenging device conducts scavenging with the amount of the oxidant gas obtained by the computing device.

Abstract: After an ignition switch is turned off, in order to suppress operation of an air compressor and thereby reduce noise, liquid droplets residing in an oxygen-containing gas flow field as well as liquid droplets residing in a fuel gas flow field are removed during separate time periods, such that the flow rate in the oxygen-containing gas flow field and the flow rate in the fuel gas flow field do not become large at the same time. Then, an electrolyte membrane is dried using an oxygen-containing gas, in order to improve the performance upon starting a next operation.

Abstract: A fuel cell system enables time required for purging to be reduced without a major increase in discharge gas concentration at a time of purging. It comprises a fuel cell; a fuel gas supply path for supplying the fuel gas to an anode; an oxidizing gas supply path for supplying an oxidizing gas to a cathode; a fuel gas circulating path for returning an unreacted fuel gas to an anode inlet side; a dilution box for diluting the fuel gas by the oxidizing gas and for discharging it to outside; and a fuel gas discharge path connecting the fuel gas circulating path and a dilution box discharge gas inlet. A drain valve, a purge valve and an air discharge valve are provided, opening areas of which are different from one another. The drain valve with a smallest opening area is initially opened.

Abstract: When a power generation stop signal of an ignition switch is detected, an oxygen-containing gas is supplied to an anode for starting an anode scavenging process. After starting the anode scavenging process, the remaining electrical energy stored in a capacitor is monitored. If the monitored remaining electrical energy stored in the capacitor is decreased to a threshold, the anode scavenging process is finished. At the end of the anode scavenging process, the remaining electrical energy becomes equal to the threshold. By the remaining electrical energy equal to the threshold, the next operation of the fuel cell system is reliably started. Since the anode scavenging process continues until the remaining electrical energy is decreased to the threshold, the time for the anode scavenging process can be increased as much as possible.

Abstract: A fuel cell system comprises a fuel cell stack, a cell voltage monitor, a hydrogen tank, a hydrogen supply channel, an ejector, a hydrogen off-gas channel, a purge valve, a compressor, an air supply channel, a pressure control unit for controlling air pressure, a pilot pressure input channel branching off from the air supply channel and inputting the air pressure to the ejector as pilot pressure, and a control unit for controlling the purge valve and the pressure control unit. The ejector includes a pressure control mechanism which increases the ejector's secondary-side pressure by increasing the area of the nozzle's ejecting hole when the pilot pressure input from the pilot pressure input channel rises. When electricity generation status of the fuel cell stack is judged to be poor, the control unit opens the purge valve after raising the air pressure and the pilot pressure by using the pressure control unit.

Abstract: A fuel cell system allows suppression of the deterioration of a fuel cell even if a part of a membrane configuring the fuel cell is unavailable for power production. The fuel cell is configured with a membrane, and an anode and a cathode provided so as to sandwich the membrane, and produces electric power from reaction of reactive gases via the membrane when the reactive gases are supplied to the anode and the cathode. The fuel cell system is configured with the fuel cell, an MEA power production effective area calculating means for calculating an area of the membrane surface available for power production, an upper limit power producing current calculating means for controlling the total power production of the fuel cell based on the power production effective area calculated by the MEA power production effective area calculating means, and a current controller.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack for power generation by electrochemical reactions of a fuel gas and an oxygen-containing gas, a high voltage energy storage capable of storing and discharging electrical energy generated by power generation of the fuel cell stack, and capable of being directly coupled to the fuel cell stack, a group of loads consuming at least electrical energy generated by the fuel cell stack or electrical energy discharged from the high voltage energy storage, and an auxiliary device control unit for reducing an amount of electrical energy remaining in the energy storage to a predetermined value by any of the group of loads, before starting power generation of the fuel cell stack.

Abstract: This invention provides a fuel cell system preventing from a first valve such as a purge valve exhausting gas outside. The fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack, an anode off-gas channel, a purge valve and a scavenging gas exhaust valve connected to the anode off-gas channel and exhausting gas inside the anode off-gas channel outside, a drain valve connected to the anode off-gas channel arranged in an upstream side of a connecting point of the purge valve and the scavenging gas exhaust valve and exhausting the moisture exhausted from the anode channel 12 to the anode off-gas channel, and ECU. The control unit is designed to open only the drain valve in a closed condition of the purge valve and the scavenging gas exhaust valve, after the anode off-gas channel is filled with gas in a closed condition of the purge valve, the scavenging gas exhaust valve, and the drain valve during the stop of power generation of the fuel cell stack.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell that generates an electric power and heat by a reaction of a reaction gas; a heat exchanger; a coolant circuit for a coolant between the fuel cell and the heat exchanger; a coolant circulating pump for circulating the coolant in the coolant circuit; and a drive motor for driving the coolant circulating pump, the coolant receiving and carrying the heat to the heat exchanger by the coolant circuit, the coolant circulating pump, and the drive motor. A rotational speed of the drive motor is controlled according to an upper limit of the rotational speed of the drive motor which may be determined on the basis of a cooling capacity of the heat exchanger, a speed of the vehicle mounting the fuel cell system, a generated electric power, and a flow rate of the reaction gas.

Abstract: When it is detected that the ignition switch is turned off a short period of time after the ignition switch turned on at the temperature below the freezing point, the charge threshold of a capacitor is changed to a larger charge threshold C for increasing the amount of electrical energy charged in the capacitor based on the charge threshold C. The capacitor is used for performing a scavenging process for a sufficient period of time. At the time of starting operation of the fuel cell system at the temperature below the freezing point the next time, using the electrical energy of the capacitor, a fuel cell is warmed rapidly by a heater or the like to start operation of the fuel cell system.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack, a warming up status detector, a warming up completion threshold setter, an informing device, an estimator, and a threshold changer. The warming up status detector is configured to detect a warming up status of the fuel cell stack. The informing device is configured to inform of completion of warming up when a value corresponding to a warming up status detected by the warming up status detector is equal to or higher than a threshold value set by the warming up completion threshold setter. The estimator is configured to estimate whether generated water is frozen in the fuel cell stack. The threshold changer is configured to change the threshold value set by the warming up completion threshold setter in accordance with a freezing state of the generated water in the fuel cell stack estimated by the estimator.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell that generates an electric power and heat by a reaction of a reaction gas; a heat exchanger; a coolant circuit for a coolant between the fuel cell and the heat exchanger; a coolant circulating pump for circulating the coolant in the coolant circuit; and a drive motor for driving the coolant circulating pump, the coolant receiving and carrying the heat to the heat exchanger by the coolant circuit, the coolant circulating pump, and the drive motor. A rotational speed of the drive motor is controlled according to an upper limit of the rotational speed of the drive motor which may be determined on the basis of a cooling capacity of the heat exchanger, a speed of the vehicle mounting the fuel cell system, a generated electric power, and a flow rate of the reaction gas.

Abstract: A fuel cell system draining water in a air-and-water separator includes: a fuel cell stack; a hydrogen-circulating line; an air-and-water separator; a drain unit including a drain valve for draining the water stored in the air-and-water separator; a drain-control unit for controlling the drain unit; a determining unit for determining whether or not the drain-control unit decides that the drain unit should be opened; a frozen-state-presuming unit presuming whether or not the drain unit is frozen; and a thawing-state-determining unit determining whether or not the drain unit is thawed, wherein the drain-control unit controls the drain unit so that a greater amount of the water is drained than a water drained in an ordinary state process which presumes that the drain unit is not frozen, after the frozen-state-presuming unit presumes that the drain unit is frozen and when the thawing-state-determining unit determines mat the drain unit is thawed.