Abstract: Provided is a fuel cell system that is capable of suppressing temperature change of the fuel cell under a low temperature environment after the operation has stopped, suppressing freezing due to condensation and ensuring a preferable start thereafter.

Abstract: When starting operation of a fuel cell below the freezing point, a fuel cell system adjusts the open degree of a hydrogen pressure adjusting valve, introduces hydrogen to a hydrogen entrance of the fuel cell so as to make the total pressure of the hydrogen entrance is a first pressure, and starts a hydrogen circulation pump. If at least one of the cell voltages acquired by a cell voltmeter is below a predetermined voltage, the system determines that clogging is caused in a hydrogen flow channel in the fuel cell. When it is determined that clogging is present, the open degree of the pressure adjusting valve is adjusted and hydrogen is introduced to the hydrogen entrance so that the total pressure of the hydrogen entrance is a second pressure which is higher than the first pressure. Then, the hydrogen circulation pump is stopped and the fuel cell is warmed up to dissolve the clogging of the hydrogen flow channel.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack and a fuel gas piping system which supplies a fuel gas to the fuel cell stack, and is capable of, at starting below a freezing point, selectively performing a rapid warm-up operation to generate electric power at an air stoichiometric ratio lower than that at starting at ordinary temperature, while revolving a circulating pump, and the fuel cell system further includes a clogging determination unit which determines whether or not clogging arises from freezing in a fuel gas passage of the fuel cell stack, or the fuel gas piping system, wherein when the clogging arises, the circulating pump is stopped in the rapid warm-up operation, and termination conditions of the rapid warm-up operation are changed in accordance with a clogging volume.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a secondary battery, an oxidizing gas supplier, a gas supply flow regulator, an oxidizing gas supply path, a cathode off-gas exhaust path, a bypass flow path, a flow regulator, an available power output acquirer, and an operation controller, wherein the gas supply flow regulator regulates the gas supply flow rate to cause the oxidizing gas supplier to supply an excess gas flow rate, which is set to be greater than a target fuel gas-requiring gas flow rate, wherein the target fuel gas-requiring gas flow rate is the fuel cell-requiring gas flow rate to be supplied to the fuel cell in order to achieve the target current value, when the available power output is less than a minimum amount of electric power required for the oxidizing gas supplier to increase the gas supply flow rate from 0 to a preset gas flow rate within a preset time period, and the operation controller controls the flow regulator to make the bypass flow rate equal to a difference gas flow rate between th

Abstract: A fuel cell system capable of inhibiting dew condensation in an area affected by freezing by providing an area for actively promoting dew condensation is provided. The fuel cell system includes a fuel cell and an off-gas passage for allowing an off-gas discharged from the fuel cell flow through, wherein a dew condensation promoting area for promoting dew condensation is placed around a freezing-affected area that will be adversely affected by freezing.

Abstract: A fuel cell system suppresses the deterioration of an electrolyte membrane of a fuel cell. The fuel cell system comprises: a temperature rise speed calculation unit for calculating a target temperature rise speed of the fuel cell using a temperature of the fuel cell and a water content of the fuel cell; and a drive control unit for controlling a drive of the cooling water pump using the temperature rise speed of the fuel cell and the target temperature rise speed calculated by the temperature rise speed calculation unit. The drive control unit controls the drive of the cooling water pump such that a circulation amount of the cooling water is decreased when the temperature rise speed of the fuel cell is below the target temperature rise speed and controls the drive of the cooling water pump such that the circulation amount of the cooling water is increased when the temperature rise speed of the fuel cell is equal to or greater than the target temperature rise speed.

Abstract: Provided is a fuel cell system that performs a warm-up operation by reducing a supply of oxidant gas to a fuel cell, the system having: a fuel cell; and a control unit that regulates amounts of oxidant gas and fuel gas supplied to the fuel cell and controls a power-generation state of the fuel cell. During the warm-up operation with a reduced supply of oxidant gas to the fuel cell, the control unit varies a voltage of the fuel cell for a short period of time to obtain current-voltage characteristics which indicate a relationship of an output voltage and an output current of the fuel cell, calculates an effective catalyst area of the fuel cell based on the obtained current-voltage characteristics, and determines whether the warm-up operation of the fuel cell can be stopped or not based on the calculated effective catalyst area.

Abstract: Provided is a fuel cell system that performs a warm-up operation by reducing a supply of oxidant gas to a fuel cell, the system having: a fuel cell; and a control unit that regulates amounts of oxidant gas and fuel gas supplied to the fuel cell and controls a power-generation state of the fuel cell. During the warm-up operation with a reduced supply of oxidant gas to the fuel cell, the control unit varies a voltage of the fuel cell for a short period of time to obtain current-voltage characteristics which indicate a relationship of an output voltage and an output current of the fuel cell, calculates an effective catalyst area of the fuel cell based on the obtained current-voltage characteristics, and determines whether the warm-up operation of the fuel cell can be stopped or not based on the calculated effective catalyst area.

Abstract: An object is to suppress the degradation of durability due to a heat concentration while performing a rapid warm-up operation as necessary, when starting a fuel cell system at temperatures below freezing point.

Abstract: Water contained in exhaust gas discharged from a fuel cell stack is separated by a gas-liquid separator and is accumulated in a recovery tank. The procedure of the invention sets a release amount of water and selects one or multiple positions for water release, based on the driving conditions including the vehicle speed and the acceleration, the turning state, activation or non-activation of skid reduction control, the distance from any object detected by clearance sonars, a distance from a subsequent vehicle measured by an extremely high frequency radar, and the presence of raindrops detected by a raindrop detection sensor, and releases the water accumulated in the recovery tank from water outlets at the selected one or multiple positions among water outlets at multiple different locations. This arrangement ensures adequate release of the water produced by the fuel cell stack to the atmosphere.

Abstract: Water contained in exhaust gas discharged from a fuel cell stack is separated by a gas-liquid separator and is accumulated in a recovery tank. The procedure of the invention sets a release amount of water and selects one or multiple positions for water release, based on the driving conditions including the vehicle speed and the acceleration, the turning state, activation or non-activation of skid reduction control, the distance from any object detected by clearance sonars, a distance from a subsequent vehicle measured by an extremely high frequency radar, and the presence of raindrops detected by a raindrop detection sensor, and releases the water accumulated in the recovery tank from water outlets at the selected one or multiple positions among water outlets at multiple different locations. This arrangement ensures adequate release of the water produced by the fuel cell stack to the atmosphere.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a secondary battery, an oxidizing gas supplier, a gas supply flow regulator, an oxidizing gas supply path, a cathode off-gas exhaust path, a bypass flow path, a flow regulator, an available power output acquirer, and an operation controller, wherein the gas supply flow regulator regulates the gas supply flow rate to cause the oxidizing gas supplier to supply an excess gas flow rate, which is set to be greater than a target fuel gas-requiring gas flow rate, wherein the target fuel gas-requiring gas flow rate is the fuel cell-requiring gas flow rate to be supplied to the fuel cell in order to achieve the target current value, when the available power output is less than a minimum amount of electric power required for the oxidizing gas supplier to increase the gas supply flow rate from 0 to a preset gas flow rate within a preset time period, and the operation controller controls the flow regulator to make the bypass flow rate equal to a difference gas flow rate between th

Abstract: Water contained in exhaust gas discharged from a fuel cell stack 22 is separated by a gas-liquid separator 48 and is accumulated in a recovery tank 54. The procedure of the invention sets a release amount of water and selects one or multiple positions for water release, based on the driving conditions including the vehicle speed and the acceleration, the turning state, activation or non-activation of skid reduction control, the distance from any object detected by clearance sonars 94a through 94d, a distance from a subsequent vehicle measured by an extremely high frequency radar 92, and the presence of raindrops detected by a raindrop detection sensor, and releases the water accumulated in the recovery tank 54 from water outlets at the selected one or multiple positions among water outlets 58a through 58f at multiple different locations. This arrangement ensures adequate release of the water produced by the fuel cell stack 22 to the atmosphere.

Abstract: For a fuel cell system, the flow rate and the pressure of the air flow supplied to the cathode side are controlled with the following procedure. First, air is supplied to the cathode at the flow rate and supply pressure required for generating electricity. In this state, the changing rate of the amount of formed water accumulated in the cathode is estimated based on the required electricity generation and the air flow rate. When the accumulated amount of formed water increases in a high rate, to avoid flooding, the cathode outlet regulation valve is intermittently opened to decrease the outlet gas pressure. Also, at a frequency less than that of the pressure decrease, the air flow rate is increased. By executing this operation, the increased air flow rate and the pressure difference between the cathode inlet and outlet, it is possible to promote discharge of the formed water with small loss of energy.

Abstract: A fuel cell system (10) that includes with a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (22) having a polymer electrolyte membrane is provided with a determining portion that determines whether a moisture content in the polymer electrolyte membrane is low, and an anode gas pressure regulating portion that sets a gas pressure on an anode side of the fuel cell lower than a set value of the gas pressure on the anode side during steady operation in which the moisture content is not low, when it is determined that the moisture content is low.

Abstract: There is provided an anomaly judgment device that is capable of detecting an abnormal state of a system highly accurately and obtaining an accurate result. The anomaly judgment device may include a plurality of anomaly judgment devices for judging an anomaly of the system and, in cases where it is judged by the plurality of anomaly judgment devices that there is an anomaly, a judgment device judges that a system anomaly exists. Hence, even in the event of a localized abnormal state judgment by one anomaly judgment device or failure, a final judgment is not made based on that anomaly alone, and at least one other anomaly judgment is made, whereby erroneous judgments can be eliminated and a highly accurate anomaly judgment is possible.

Abstract: A fuel cell includes a membrane-electrode assembly, passageways provided on both sides of the membrane-electrode assembly, and fluid-permeable members provided between the membrane-electrode assembly and the passageways. Thermal resistance of the fluid-permeable member on an anode side is lower than that of the fluid-permeable member on a cathode side. In this case, heat flux at the anode side fluid-permeable member is increased, and heat flux at the cathode side fluid-permeable member is decreased.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a fuel cell system that is capable of sensing unintended gas leakage from a discharge control means based on odor. A fuel cell system is provided with a bypass passage 32 connecting a fuel offgas passage 30 at inlet of a odorant removal unit 40 to the fuel offgas passage 30 in the vicinity of outlet of the odorant removal unit 40, and the fuel cell system facilitates the removal of odor from the discharged fuel offgas, by closing a bypass valve 33 in conjunction with opening a purge valve 31, and suppresses the removal of odor, by opening the bypass valve 33 in conjunction with stop of discharge of fuel offgas caused by closing the purge valve 31.

Abstract: A moving body, such as a vehicle, having one or more fuel cells mounted thereon. The fuel cells, which power the moving body, generate electricity and release water as a by-product. Accordingly, the moving body includes a water discharge module that releases water produced by the fuel cells to the atmosphere using a water outlet. The water outlet may be located in a front section of the moving body. The moving body may further include a water tank that temporarily stores water before releasing the water to the atmosphere.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a fuel cell system that is capable of sensing unintended gas leakage from a discharge control means based on odor. A fuel cell system is provided with a bypass passage 32 connecting a fuel offgas passage 30 at inlet of a odorant removal unit 40 to the fuel offgas passage 30 in the vicinity of outlet of the odorant removal unit 40, and the fuel cell system facilitates the removal of odor from the discharged fuel offgas, by closing a bypass valve 33 in conjunction with opening a purge valve 31, and suppresses the removal of odor, by opening the bypass valve 33 in conjunction with stop of discharge of fuel offgas caused by closing the purge valve 31.