Abstract: A fuel cell includes a gas diffusion layer (GM) situated between a catalyst layer of the fuel cell and a flow field plate of the fuel cell. The GM has a first region and a second region along a thickness direction of the fuel cell. The first region is adjacent to the catalyst layer and has a first thermal conductivity. The second region is adjacent to the flow field plate and has a second thermal conductivity lower than the first thermal conductivity.

Abstract: To provide a battery or a membrane electrode assembly having high durability. A battery (100) having a multilayer structure containing layers of a pair of electrodes (1), the battery (100) including a reinforcing material (20) provided in one or more layers or between layers.

Abstract: To provide a battery or a membrane electrode assembly having high durability. A battery (100) having a multilayer structure containing layers of a pair of electrodes (1) , the battery (100) including a reinforcing material (20) provided in one or more layers or between layers.

Abstract: A method for identifying a leak (4?) within a membrane (4) of a fuel cell (5) during operation of a motor vehicle, comprising the steps: reducing the power provided by the fuel cell (5) starting from an output power to a minimum value; determining measurement values of the current cell voltage of the fuel cell (5) whilst the reduced power at the minimum value is provided by the fuel cell (5); and assessing a state of the membrane (4) of the fuel cell (5) on the basis of the determined measurement values in order to identify a leak (4?). The power reduced by the fuel cell (5) whilst measurement values of the current cell voltage are determined is provided at the same level by at least one further energy source.

Abstract: A hydrogen production system includes: a steam generator heating supplied raw water and generating steam; an electrolytic cell receiving the steam and generating hydrogen and oxygen through a high temperature electrolysis; a cooling unit cooling an unreacted part of the steam in the high temperature electrolysis and changing the unreacted part of the steam into steam condensate; a gas/liquid separator performing gas/liquid separation on the generated hydrogen and the generated steam condensate; a hydrogen compression unit compressing the separated hydrogen and transmitting thermal energy generated when the hydrogen is compressed, to the raw water; and a hydrogen storage unit storing the compressed hydrogen.

Abstract: The fuel cell system of the present invention comprises: an electric motor, a fuel cell stack, a fuel supply unit, and a controller that controls a power-plant including the fuel cell stack and the fuel supply unit. The controller comprises further: a stack output-response request computing unit to compute a stack output-response request requested for the fuel cell stack; a stack voltage setup unit during idle-stop to set up a lower limit of stack setup-voltage during idle-stop that is set up as a stack voltage during execution of idle-stop so as to be higher as the stack output-response request is larger, and so as to be lower as the request is smaller; and an operation unit of recovering a stack voltage during idle-stop to execute a recovery operation when an actual stack voltage becomes, during execution of idle-stop, lower than the lower limit of stack setup-voltage during idle-stop.

Abstract: In a fuel cell system which executes a stop process of stopping an output from a fuel cell when a required power generation amount for the fuel cell is smaller than a predetermined power generation amount and supplies oxidant during a stop process period, fuel gas is intermittently supplied to a fuel electrode at a basic supply interval, which is set in advance and at which carbon dioxide is not generated in an oxidant electrode, during the stop process period.

Abstract: In a fuel cell system that includes a fuel cell that generates power in response to an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen contained in air, and a compressor that supplies air to the fuel cell, in which an idle stop is executed to stop power generation by the fuel cell when a required load falls to or below a predetermined value, and during the idle stop, air is supplied in accordance with a voltage condition between a cathode and a anode of the fuel cell, regardless of the required load, air is supplied during the idle stop while detecting an air supply amount, and when the air supply amount reaches a predetermined value, the air supply is stopped.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a control valve and a controller. The fuel cell is configured to receive anode gas and cathode gas to generate electric power. The control valve is configured to control pressure of the anode gas being fed to the fuel cell through an anode flow channel. The controller controls the control valve to periodically increase and decrease the pressure of the anode gas flowing through the anode flow channel in an area downstream of the control valve. The controller sets an anode pressure differential value for the anode gas resulting from periodic increasing and decreasing of the pressure of the anode gas based on a requested fuel cell output. The controller determines a quantity of liquid in the anode flow channel. The controller decreases the anode pressure differential value that was set based on the requested fuel cell output.

Abstract: A hydrogen production system includes: a steam generator heating supplied raw water and generating steam; an electrolytic cell receiving the steam and generating hydrogen and oxygen through a high temperature electrolysis; a cooling unit cooling an unreacted part of the steam in the high temperature electrolysis and changing the unreacted part of the steam into steam condensate; a gas/liquid separator performing gas/liquid separation on the generated hydrogen and the generated steam condensate; a hydrogen compression unit compressing the separated hydrogen and transmitting thermal energy generated when the hydrogen is compressed, to the raw water; and a hydrogen storage unit storing the compressed hydrogen.

Abstract: A fuel cell system (1) of the present invention includes a fuel cell stack (10) including plural single fuel cells (11) stacked on each other, each single fuel cell being supplied with hydrogen gas and air to an anode electrode (14) and a cathode electrode (13), respectively, to generate electricity. The system (1) further includes a voltage applying device (C9) that applies voltage to the fuel cell stack (10) after oxygen present in the cathode electrode (13) is reduced. The system (1) further includes a cross-leakage diagnosis device (C12) that diagnoses, based on voltage of the single fuel cells (11) when the voltage applying device (C9) applies the voltage to the fuel cell stack (10), whether hydrogen gas in the anode electrode (13) is cross-leaked to the cathode electrode (14) in each single fuel cell (11).

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a control valve and a controller. The controller controls the control valve to periodically increase and decrease the anode gas pressure downstream of the control valve. The controller executes a shutdown/restart operation of the fuel cell by closing the control valve to stop the anode gas and shutting down power generation of the fuel cell upon receiving a shutdown command, and restarting feeding of the anode gas and restarting the power generation upon a prescribed operation restart condition being met. The controller estimates an anode gas concentration at a location where the anode gas concentration is locally lower within a power generation region of the fuel cell based on a control state of the anode gas when the shutdown command is issued. The controller sets the prescribed operation restart condition for executing the shutdown/restart operation based on the anode gas concentration.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a control valve and a controller. The controller controls the control valve to periodically increase and decrease the anode gas pressure downstream of the control valve. The controller executes a shutdown operation of the fuel cell by closing the control valve to stop the anode gas and shutting down power generation of the fuel cell upon receiving a shutdown command. The controller estimates an anode gas concentration at a location where the anode gas concentration is locally lower within a power generation region of the fuel cell based on a control state of the anode gas at a time the shutdown command is issued. The controller determines whether to permit or prohibit shutting down the power generating operation based on the anode gas concentration.

Abstract: In a fuel cell system that includes a fuel cell that generates power in response to an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen contained in air, and a compressor that supplies air to the fuel cell, in which an idle stop is executed to stop power generation by the fuel cell when a required load falls to or below a predetermined value, and during the idle stop, air is supplied in accordance with a voltage condition between a cathode and a anode of the fuel cell, regardless of the required load, air is supplied during the idle stop while detecting an air supply amount, and when the air supply amount reaches a predetermined value, the air supply is stopped.

Abstract: A fuel cell system that generates power by supplying anode gas and cathode gas to a fuel cell has a control valve that controls pressure of the anode gas supplied to the fuel cell, a pulsation operation unit that causes pulsation of pressure of anode gas in the fuel cell in accordance with a predetermined pressure by controlling an opening degree of the control valve based on an operating condition of the fuel cell system, and a stagnation point determination unit that determines, based on a change in the pressure of the anode gas in the fuel cell, whether or not a stagnation point exists where an anode gas concentration is locally low in the fuel cell. When the stagnation determining unit determines that the stagnation point exists in the fuel cell, the pulsation operation unit increases the predetermined pressure in execution of a pulsation operation.

Abstract: In a fuel cell system which executes a stop process of stopping an output from a fuel cell when a required power generation amount for the fuel cell is smaller than a predetermined power generation amount and supplies oxidant during a stop process period, fuel gas is intermittently supplied to a fuel electrode at a basic supply interval, which is set in advance and at which carbon dioxide is not generated in an oxidant electrode, during the stop process period.

Abstract: The fuel cell system of the present invention comprises: an electric motor, a fuel cell stack, a fuel supply unit, and a controller that controls a power-plant including the fuel cell stack and the fuel supply unit. The controller comprises further: a stack output-response request computing unit to compute a stack output-response request requested for the fuel cell stack; a stack voltage setup unit during idle-stop to set up a lower limit of stack setup-voltage during idle-stop that is set up as a stack voltage during execution of idle-stop so as to be higher as the stack output-response request is larger, and so as to be lower as the request is smaller; and an operation unit of recovering a stack voltage during idle-stop to execute a recovery operation when an actual stack voltage becomes, during execution of idle-stop, lower than the lower limit of stack setup-voltage during idle-stop.

Abstract: A fuel cell system (1) of the present invention includes a fuel cell stack (10) including plural single fuel cells (11) stacked on each other, each single fuel cell being supplied with hydrogen gas and air to an anode electrode (14) and a cathode electrode (13), respectively, to generate electricity. The system (1) further includes a voltage applying device (C9) that applies voltage to the fuel cell stack (10) after oxygen present in the cathode electrode (13) is reduced. The system (1) further includes a cross-leakage diagnosis device (C12) that diagnoses, based on voltage of the single fuel cells (11) when the voltage applying device (C9) applies the voltage to the fuel cell stack (10), whether hydrogen gas in the anode electrode (13) is cross-leaked to the cathode electrode (14) in each single fuel cell (11).

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a controller that estimates or detects an air replacement state of a fuel electrode and a hydrogen circulation path while the operation of the fuel cell system is stopped. Upon starting the fuel cell system, the controller changes the order in which the operation of a hydrogen circulation pump is started and a hydrogen pressure regulator is opened to start the supply of hydrogen gas on the basis of the estimated or detected air replacement state, thereby preventing deterioration caused by uneven distribution of air and hydrogen in the fuel electrode.

Abstract: A miniature camera lens actuation apparatus provides an auto-macro function in which a camera lens element has two focus positions. In one type of apparatus, a shape memory alloy actuator arranged to drive movement of the camera lens element relative to a support structure against an end-stop arranged to limit the movement. The shape memory alloy actuator is connected to one of the movable element and the support structure by a compliant connector. This limits the stresses on the shape memory alloy actuator and therefore increases its lifetime. In another type of apparatus, the suspension system supporting the movable element on the support structure provides the movable element with two stable positions along the movement direction.