Fuel cell system and method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10340540-B2
Application number	US-201515522435-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 17, 2015
Priority date	Oct 28, 2014
Publication date	Jul 2, 2019
Grant date	Jul 2, 2019

Abstract

A fuel cell system comprising: a supply valve for supplying the anode gas into an anode system of the fuel cell system; a purge valve for discharging an off-gas from the anode system; a pressure detecting portion that estimates or measures a pressure inside the anode system; and a hydrogen concentration estimating portion that estimates a hydrogen concentration inside the anode system based on a pressure decrease during a purge valve open duration in a supply valve close state.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fuel cell system having a fuel cell supplied with an anode gas and a cathode gas to generate electricity from the fuel cell depending on a load, comprising:
a supply valve for supplying the anode gas into an anode system of the fuel cell system;
a purge valve for discharging an off-gas from the anode system;
a pressure detecting portion that estimates or measures a pressure inside the anode system; and
a hydrogen concentration estimating portion that estimates the hydrogen concentration inside the anode system based on a pressure decrease during a purge valve open duration when a predetermined time elapses after the purge valve is opened in a supply valve close state.

2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein the purge valve is opened before the supply valve is closed.

3. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , further comprising a purge valve control portion that controls the purge valve based on an open/close state of the supply valve and the hydrogen concentration.

4. The fuel cell system according to claim 3 , wherein the purge valve control portion changes an interval of issuing a purge valve open command based on the hydrogen concentration and opens the purge valve in the supply valve open state, and the valve open command is issued.

5. The fuel cell system according to claim 4 , wherein the purge valve control portion reduces the interval of issuing a purge valve open command as the hydrogen concentration decreases.

6. The fuel cell system according to claim 3 , wherein the purge valve control portion changes the purging amount of the off-gas discharged from the anode system through the purge valve based on the hydrogen concentration.

7. The fuel cell system according to claim 6 , wherein the purge valve control portion increases the purging amount as the hydrogen concentration decreases.

8. The fuel cell system according to claim 6 , wherein the purge valve control portion increases the valve open time of the purge valve as the hydrogen concentration decreases.

9. The fuel cell system according to claim 3 , wherein the purge valve control portion changes the valve open time of the purge valve based on the hydrogen concentration.

10. A fuel cell system having a fuel cell supplied with an anode gas and a cathode gas to generate electricity from the fuel cell depending on a load, comprising:
a supply valve for supplying the anode gas into an anode system of the fuel cell system;
a purge valve for discharging an off-gas from the anode system;
a pressure detecting portion that estimates or measures a pressure inside the anode system; and
a hydrogen concentration estimating portion that
estimates the hydrogen concentration inside the anode system based on each of a pressure decrease during a purge valve open duration and a pressure decrease during a purge valve close duration in a supply valve close state.

11. A method of fuel cell system, the fuel cell system comprising:
a fuel cell supplied with an anode gas and a cathode gas to generate electricity from the fuel cell depending on a load;
a supply valve for supplying the anode gas into an anode system of the fuel cell system; and
a purge valve for discharging an off-gas from the anode system;
a pressure detecting portion that estimates or measures a pressure inside the anode system,
the method comprising estimating a hydrogen concentration inside the anode system based on a pressure decrease during a purge valve open duration when a predetermined time elapses after the purge valve is opened in a supply valve close state.

Assignees

• Nissan Motor

Inventors

• Asai Yoshitomo

Classifications

• H01M8/04447

  of anode reactants at the inlet or inside the fuel cell · CPC title

• H01M8/04388

  of anode reactants at the inlet or inside the fuel cell · CPC title

• H01M8/04179 Primary

  by purging or increasing flow or pressure of reactants · CPC title

• H01M8/04

  Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids · CPC title

• H01M8/04798 Primary

  of fuel cell reactants · CPC title